jimlongley wrote:In a letter to the editor.
Reflecting on the Twin Peaks massacre, I wish to suggest to those in Austin eager to pass open carry legislation to consider how the death count would have been more tragic were open carry legal. The shooters would have been carrying AK 47 assault rifles. Why would any lawmaker in his right mind cast a vote subjecting our police officers to such a scenario of weaponry?
Let’s hope our governor doesn’t pander to the open carry crowd as easily as he did to the Texas-invasion crowd and that he vetoes open carry legislation. No wonder the rest of the country thinks Texans are cracked!
Go against the grain Gov. Abbott, and do the right thing. You were elected by people with families and don’t ever forget that.
Imagine being in a doctor’s waiting room with your kids and in walks two guns with people attached. Good guys or bad guys? How does the parent compute this? We get our kids out of there! Or at a movie with guns in full view of any deranged nut wanting to make a name for himself. Are you kidding?
John Pennington, Fairview
Attempting to stay within DMN's 200 word limit, my reply:
RE: John Pennington; Veto Open Carry DMN 05/24/2015, Mr. Pennington would go a great distance toward enhancing his case if he took into account a couple of facts:
First, open carry of any rifle would not be covered under the proposed legislation, it only covers handguns carried by CHL holders.
Second, besides the simple fact that a true (fully automatic) AK-47 “Assault Rifle” is covered under Federal Laws, the semi-automatic look alikes to AK-47s, which are, by definition, NOT actually “Assault Rifles” are actually legal to open carry in Texas today, without this legislation.
Governor Abbott isn’t pandering to anyone, he is fulfilling a campaign promise to sign open carry legislation, so if he does any pandering on this bill, it would be if he caves in to the alarmists.
If you are sitting in the doctor’s waiting room and people walk in carrying, it’s because your doctor must be comfortable, because your doctor didn't take advantage of the law and post the office off limits. And the last deranged nut to commit a theater massacre disobeyed the law against carrying there. A law that prevented anyone from possibly being able to defend themselves.
Governor Abbott, do the right thing, sign the legislation as you promised, and don’t pander to the fear mongers spreading disinformation.
