Charles L. Cotton wrote:Two Forum Members are being statesmen and are calling for an end to the war of words between CJ Grisham and myself. They are correct and I appreciate their counsel. I confess that I do not take lightly false attacks against NRA, TSRA or Alice Tripp and I’m not particularly fond of such attacks against me personally. I also know that when these false allegations come from certain corners, a full and complete response is required lest the person making those allegations feel emboldened and free to continue.
I want to return to the message of the original post. OCT/CJ Grisham has/have called for their members to say “no no no” to bills other than HB195. OCT has also vowed to oppose the reelection of any legislator that does not support unlicensed open-carry. This is a strong implication that any legislator that supports a licensed open-carry bill will be attacked by OCT. These are big steps toward defeating open-carry in 2015.
Anyone wanting open-carry to pass should support their preferred bill, but do not do anything to harm the chances of passing another open-carry bill. The only exceptions to this are open-carry bills that would apply TPC §30.06 to both open and concealed carry. These are bills that must not pass. By all means, do not threaten legislators! It does not work and it usually prompts a response against your bill or position. Legislators don’t like being threatened anymore than any of us.
We must also remember that concealed-carry was passed in 1995 and it wasn’t until 2007 that we were able to pass unlicensed car-carry. It took 12 years for the public and legislature to get used to the idea of citizens carrying handguns before public opinion had changed to the point that passage of the Motorist Protection Act (HB1815) was possible. My preference is unlicensed open-carry because it furthers our goal of the fewest restrictions for law-abiding Texans. However, that’s an unlikely first step in the open-carry arena.
Like Steve Rothstein, I’ve stated several times that I want to see all of Chp. 46 of the Penal Code repealed so we can focus on wrongful acts, rather than tools that can be used for good or evil. If that day ever comes, it will be after we have chiseled away the foundation of the theory that we can control man’s evil deeds by denying him the tools of his trade.
To CJ Grisham and Valente: If you want to post on the Forum, then discuss issues without the attacks on the NRA, TSRA, Alice Tripp or me; otherwise your posts will be deleted. I welcome discussion of issues without personal attacks; that is the cornerstone of the Forum; it’s why it was created almost 10 years ago. Come and exchange ideas and where necessary, agree to disagree but only in a statesmanlike manner. You can expect thoughtful discussion, sometimes lively discussion, but do not expect a crowd of "yes men." You are not entering a hostile environment, neither are you entering an open-carry echo chamber. Reasonable minds can differ on issues without becoming enemies, but a slap to the face usually earns one a punch in the nose. The welcome matt is out for you; don’t get it muddy.
Chas.
VERY well put Charles. This is a testament to why you have been succesfull at swaying legislators.