Texans Respond to License to Carry

[treadlightly]

I last went into my bank in February, when I got my CHL. It is the only bank in town with a 30.06 sign.

Yesterday I had to clear up a little situation with a customer who had written me a hot check. Since I hadn't had any contact with the branch manager in 8 months, I brought up the subject of the 30.06 sign again and said I wished he didn't have an anti-gun policy.

He said the bank was very firearms-friendly, and that the bank President was known to have a CHL and carried a gun.

I probably ripped my pants a little when I mentioned that with the signs up it would be criminal trespass if he did so on bank property. At that point the branch manager stressed that the anti-gun signs are never coming down.

When I asked if it felt odd being the only bank in town posted with 30.06, his assured me at least one other bank in town would be posted by January 1.

Then, the kicker. He said, with a hint of bitterness, "We just feel safer with those signs in place."

I confess I've long become bored with schoolyard insults. Call me names, it doesn't bother me. I have opinions, I have to be respectful of those who wish to call me a moron.

But this got to me. He feels safer in his place of business if he takes an active step to disarm me. He perceives me as a threat. I'm flummoxed.

Maybe it's not too late for the other bank. Our local Sheriff sits on their board of directors, and I believe he's pretty level-headed about licensed carry.

I shall reach out to him. Maybe I can do a little good - and I'm moving the rest of my banking out of the rights-hostile bank.

I think they will still be a minority. I sat down with one bank manager and asked about their gun policy, and if they had any problem with customers waltzing in with their lawful concealed handguns. No problem. Another bank's executive staff includes a former minor star in IPSC. I bet he has a reasonable view, too.

[Jim Beaux]

When bologna talks money should walk!

[oljames3]

Texans continue to hear more about LTC.

"East Texas Open Carry"
http://texasruralnews.com/east-texas-op ... 65-105.htm

"TX Panhandle Editor Pleads for Lawmakers to Stand Up to Gun Lobbyists"
http://hppr.org/post/tx-panhandle-edito ... s#stream/0

"Seguin says 'no' to firearms during council meetings"
http://www.seguintoday.com/default.asp? ... blog=35360

"Community Meeting on Open Carry Law"
http://hadistrict.org/th_event/communit ... carry-law/

"Kel Seliger speaks at town hall"
http://m.oaoa.com/news/government/state ... l?mode=jqm

"Grayson County sheriff candidates face off for second debate"
http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/Gray ... =phone&c=y

"City reviews new firearm laws"
http://www.easttexasnews.com/Enterprise ... 5/115.html

[oljames3]

"Confusion over 'open carry' law"
http://www.foxsanantonio.com/news/featu ... iwDCNKrRpg

"'Armed with reason': Texas campus carry law sees pushback from academics"
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015 ... w-backlash

"TWU spreads word on gun law"
http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/loca ... un-law.ece

"Abilene Reminding Public of New Gun Carry Law"
http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/ ... -carry-law

"Campus Carry Supporters Sound Off At TCU"
http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/22/ ... -case-tcu/

"With Oregon in mind- read these & take action"
http://www.northtexasumc.org/BlogRetrie ... ectType=55

[Glockster]

Then, the kicker. He said, with a hint of bitterness, "We just feel safer with those signs in place."
[snip]
But this got to me. He feels safer in his place of business if he takes an active step to disarm me. He perceives me as a threat. I'm flummoxed.

Wow, this really left me feeling the same. It would be so easy to begin to take it personally, but of course it has nothing to do with that - or you, or me, or probably the overwhelming vast majority of gun owners. I guess that I would want to ask if he felt safer around me because I didn't have a gun. If yes, I'd certainly want to know what that was based upon other than some vague and irrational fear. If he said no, that it had nothing to do with me personally, I'd then ask him how he feels knowing that I do not feel safe coming into his bank. I'd also want him to imagine what he would feel like if he was witness to my being killed by a bank robber will I his "feel safer" bank. And again if he said nothing personal, and the signs weren't going to come down....I wonder what he'd then say if I asked him for his permission to carry past the sign.

I guess that I'm worn out from trying to make sense of irrational fears, from feeling like we need to defend the statistics that fall in our favor, and so on.

[oljames3]

"State representative educates small business owners on open carry law • San Antonio"
Rep. Bernal has been in the news often recently.
http://sanantonio.ysktoday.com/state-re ... carry-law/

"Do you think Whataburger made the right decision in banning open carry of handguns in its rest..."
http://m.kdhnews.com/opinion/do-you-thi ... l?mode=jqm

"SHSU to host town hall meetings concerning campus carry - Local News - Itemonline.com"
http://m.itemonline.com/news/local_news ... l?mode=jqm

[oljames3]

Texas Rep Bernal is in the news. Four articles at:
http://50wire.com/San+Antonio?t=1445857 ... 1445884163

Baptist Standard
https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion ... -editorial

[oljames3]

Rep Bernal continues to respond.
"Quote of the Day: Freedom to Live Free of Fear? Edition"
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/1 ... r-edition/

"GNMD Public Safety Committee Meeting on the New Open Carry Law in Texas".
https://nextdoor.com/events/tx/houston/ ... xas-453074

East Texas Gregg County GOP summarizes HB910 et al.
http://www.greggcountygop.com/gop-news/ ... s-for-chl/

[oljames3]

"Texas police hurry to prepare for open carry of handguns in January"
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/ ... medium=RSS

"Company owners face open-carry decisions"
http://www.expressnews.com/business/bus ... 593253.php

LTC Seminars
http://www.gunlawseminar.com/events-schedule

November 19 NTCPA Meeting
TOPIC:
'Updated TABC Laws - Includes New Open Carry Laws'
LOCATION:
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission
NCTCOG-Regional Police Academy
624 Six Flags Dr., #125
Arlington, TX 76011
http://www.cccsaaa.org/cgi-bin/membership.cgi

[oljames3]

"Coming Soon to San Antonio: Open Carry and Campus Carry"
http://therivardreport.com/coming-soon- ... pus-carry/

"Don't bring a knife to a gun fight in Texas - Houston Chronicle"
http://m.chron.com/news/politics/texas/ ... 595733.php

"Texas Doubles Down On Second Amendment Right - Gun Grabbers Won't Like It - Black Comm"
http://blackcommunitynews.com/texas-dou ... t-like-it/

"Texas: Neutering Democracy - disinformation"
(search for "guns")
http://disinfo.com/2015/10/texas-neutering-democracy/

[locke_n_load]

"Coming Soon to San Antonio: Open Carry and Campus Carry"
http://therivardreport.com/coming-soon- ... pus-carry/

Rep Bernal is handing out 30.07 signs to business owners and has 1,000s of signs printed... Ugh.

[oljames3]

"Activist calls on community institutions to go ‘gun-free’"
http://jhvonline.com/activist-calls-on- ... 045-96.htm

"Etiquette lacking in gun debate"
http://www.theexaminer.com/features/com ... gun-debate

"Packing"
http://boerne-o.com/node/1746

"UTSA Faculty, Students Protest New Campus Carry Law"
http://myinforms.com/en/a/18324800-utsa ... carry-law/

"Mass Shooting Survivor: You Never See These Attacks at Gun Shows, NRA Events" S. Hupp
http://www.msfanpage.link/mass-shooting ... ra-events/

[mojo84]

"Coming Soon to San Antonio: Open Carry and Campus Carry"
http://therivardreport.com/coming-soon- ... pus-carry/

Rep Bernal is handing out 30.07 signs to business owners and has 1,000s of signs printed... Ugh.

I think he it's going out of his way to promote people posting no OC signs. I don't think this alone makes him anti-gun but I do believe it puts him in the jerk category.

[oljames3]

(Some of these links require subscription to read the entire article. I'm posting them to present a sample of what Texans are saying about open carry and to show that the word is getting out.)

"New 2016 Texas gun laws Part I – Open Carry"
http://www.brenhambanner.com/news/new-t ... 907b4.html

"Texas’ open carry law takes effect on January 1, 2016"
http://canadianrecord.com/?p=3196

"2015 Tribune Festival: Audio From the Justice Track"
Scroll down to "After Open Carry" for audio link.
http://www.texastribune.org/2015/10/30/ ... ice-track/

[safety1]

I already avoid businesses that post 30.06 signs.
I will avoid those that post 30.07 also. I'm perfectly ok with them doing so, it is their right. Just as it is my choice to not do business with those that exercise that right. If we collectively looked at it this way, they might think twice before posting.