I moved out of California in 2006, so I also have some connection to gun rights activism in that state. Also, I agree that constitutional carry in Texas is a worthy goal. Arizona's model is a good one: OC/CCW without permit, CCW with permit for reciprocity if so desired. However, the California OC movement, much like the most vocal OC movements in other states, have themselves alone to blame for what happened. As 2nd Amendment absolutists, we are absolutely foolish if we refuse to acknowledge that our position—although it is the correct one—is anything but a minority position. Polling data nationwide, even from fairly reputable polling agencies, indicates that Americans tend to favor the 2nd Amendment.......and they tend to agree with "common sense" regulation of its expression. Of course, what the bulk of that middle ground fails to appreciate is that "common sense" is code for "draconian laws that practically eliminate it." They aren't gun owners....or they are gun owners but they are not particularly enthusiasts. Gun ownership is not really a significant part of their lives even if they own one. They may not even remember what manufacturer/model/caliber their gun is. To people like that, "common sense" restrictions are... ....common sense. They do not see the threat to their own rights in those restrictions.high_landerDZ wrote:Well as a recent Californian, the OC movement invited a lot of scrutiny and made public a lot of their events, and encouraged their members to carry recording equipment for LEO encounters. There was a fellow who almost went to jail in the city I used to live in. He was at a laundromat and police showed up and he was under the impression he was on private property and the ADA decided to prosecute since he violated the GFSZ statute. Long story short he lost his gun rights for 10 years and moved out of the country. The CalGuns Foundation is doing quite a lot legally speaking with litigation to overturn a lot of the stupid laws, and trying step by step to get CA to a shall issue state. One misstep I think they made was endorsing Jerry Brown for gov, as he was very pro-2A, but it looks like he screwed them over.
Persoanlly I would like to see TX have the option of Open Carry or CCW.
Heck, there are probably millions of gun owners, even active gun owners who disagree with OC as being "too radical." Now, I am not agreeing with any of those folks. Like I said, I favor constitutional carry. But, I would be an idiot to deny the facts of the demographics, and so would be any OC activist who denied the facts. Consequently, it is monumentally STUPID, particularly in an anti-gun state like California, to provoke authorities into action, when the only action one can realistically expect is that authorities will react by cracking down and criminalizing a formerly legal behavior. So now, thanks to foolishly stupid, unwise, feckless OC advocates, Californians no longer enjoy that right.
Way to go. It's like hiring your plumber to do your colonoscopy. The results will never be good.
