OpenCarry.org supporters turn on A+ Senator

[jimlongley]

hearkens back to the wild west days......how 'pro gun' is he?

A heck of a lot more than you! What have you done for Texas gun owners?

What did Senator Wentworth mean by "wild west days?"

Chas.

I wish I knew, I try to point out to every one who uses that tired old hackneyed phrase, that in the days of the "wild west" the east had more gunfights and higher murder rates. With that in mind, maybe a return to the "wild west" is not such a bad idea anyway.

[Charles L. Cotton]

hearkens back to the wild west days......how 'pro gun' is he?

A heck of a lot more than you! What have you done for Texas gun owners?

What did Senator Wentworth mean by "wild west days?"

Chas.

While none of might really know, I think we are all in agreement that we wish he hadn't used that phrase. I'm hoping he regrets the phrasing also.

The phrase "wild west" has become a term of art to Second Amendment activists, because the Brady Campaign and other anti-gunners always use it to mean death and mayhem. But Senator Wentworth used it in the context of legalizing open-carry and I believe he was comparing open-carry now with open-carry when it was legal in Texas in the late 1800's. I am absolutely certain he was not implying Texas gun owners would be irresponsible. If that was his belief, he would never have been a strong supporter HB1815, Motorist Protection Act.

Chas.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I hate politics.

. . .
I predicted last year that any opencarry initiative would be met with resistance from TSRA, and it's my belief that we were undermined by them in the political field.

I see you are now spreading this garbage on OpenCarry.org and you've even added Students for Concealed Carry on Campus to your list of groups that you are slandering. Yet you still haven't answered my questions about what evidence you have to support your frivolous claims. There is no basis; no one "through you under the buss" or undermined you and you have failed for the very reasons you stated in your posts - i.e. your faulty methods. But since you can't accept responsibility, you look for someone to blame and you pick TSRA and SCCC.

So you trash TSRA and SCCC (and the campus-carry movement) and you really think people are going to support you next session?

A video on OpenCarry.org credits you as being the founder of TCDL. Is that true?

Chas.

[nitrogen]

This kind of garbage plays right into Sarah Brady, Chuck Schumer, and Carolyn McCarthy's hands.

Imagine how happy they would be if they could read this crap from Opencarry.org.

"Infighting within the gun-lobby groups! Now is the time to push our agenda!"

Opencarry.org: Grow up.

[Charles L. Cotton]

This kind of garbage plays right into Sarah Brady, Chuck Schumer, and Carolyn McCarthy's hands.

Imagine how happy they would be if they could read this crap from Opencarry.org.

"Infighting within the gun-lobby groups! Now is the time to push our agenda!"

Opencarry.org: Grow up.

You're absolutely right Nitrogen.

Chas.

[DKSuddeth]

I hate politics.

. . .
I predicted last year that any opencarry initiative would be met with resistance from TSRA, and it's my belief that we were undermined by them in the political field.

I see you are now spreading this garbage on OpenCarry.org and you've even added Students for Concealed Carry on Campus to your list of groups that you are slandering. Yet you still haven't answered my questions about what evidence you have to support your frivolous claims. There is no basis; no one "through you under the buss" or undermined you and you have failed for the very reasons you stated in your posts - i.e. your faulty methods. But since you can't accept responsibility, you look for someone to blame and you pick TSRA and SCCC.

So you trash TSRA and SCCC (and the campus-carry movement) and you really think people are going to support you next session?

A video on OpenCarry.org credits you as being the founder of TCDL. Is that true?

Chas.

Chas., I 'believe' is my opinion. I'm allowed to express my opinion, am I not? Call it garbage all you want, but it IS my BELIEF that TSRA and SCCC, through tacit remarks and negative statements to media and representatives, undermined the efforts to get open carry decriminalized in texas. That is why we've been informed from the rep that was going to submit the open carry bill that there are more important gun rights issues to consider, i.e. issues that TSRA supports.

Fine, we didn't follow 'accepted methods' that TSRA has done for years. You win. you're the big dogs in texas. we lose, we suck, we didn't approach you guys and beg for your help. We should just shut up and be quiet, let you fine folks at TSRA worry about whats right and wrong in gun politics.

No, I was not the founder of TCDL, that was a man named Gary (last name forgotten) who apparently dropped the idea and initiative for some reason and no, it didn't have to do with how opencarry.org approached the issue. OC.org sat back and waited while TCDL attempted to move forward, but they supported us the whole way.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I hate politics.

. . .
I predicted last year that any opencarry initiative would be met with resistance from TSRA, and it's my belief that we were undermined by them in the political field.

. . .

Chas.

Chas., I 'believe' is my opinion. I'm allowed to express my opinion, am I not?

You can express any opinion you want, so long as you don't violate forum rules. Honorable men, however, don't accuse people or organizations on a whim or a gut feeling, without any evidence whatsoever. This is precisely what you have done. I said early on that I would not oppose open-carry in any fashion, so long as OpenCarry.org didn't carry out it's threat to attach their bill to one of ours as an amendment. I have kept my word and I will continue to do so in spite of your frivolous attacks on TSRA. Alice Tripp has not opposed open-carry in any way either. As I said earlier, when you are talking about TSRA in this context, then you are talking about Alice Tripp or me and I don't appreciate your false accusations one bit. Your poor tactics caused your failure to even get a bill introduced, but instead of accepting that as a learning experience upon which to build next session, you falsely accuse TSRA and insult every Texan by calling us "idiots."

Fine, we didn't follow 'accepted methods' that TSRA has done for years. You win. you're the big dogs in texas. we lose, we suck, we didn't approach you guys and beg for your help. We should just shut up and be quiet, let you fine folks at TSRA worry about whats right and wrong in gun politics.

This is childish and with this attitude, you'll never get anything passed in Texas. You admitted that you didn't follow traditional political methods to get your bill passed and now you want to make it sound like TSRA is insulting you for your choice. That's the point, it was your choice and we had nothing to do with it. And no, I don't want you to beg us for help; I hope we never hear anything from you, not ever! I don't want to be associated with you and your in-your-face, scorched earth brand of politics. Thankfully, I suspect cooler heads will emerge as the leaders of the open-carry movement in Texas and it will be a fully Texas effort with statesmen leading the cause. Then again, I've been wrong before.

Chas.

P.S. You didn't answer my question, are you from Texas?

[DKSuddeth]

No Chas, I'm not originally from Texas. I'm originally from Illinois and I never realized just how bad things were in Illinois until I got to texas in Late 97. I used to think TX politics was alot different than TX, now, not so much. It's still run by lobbying groups and special interests. Maybe that is just the way with politics. I don't care for it and I won't stand for it. You won't have to worry about me asking your group for any help, it won't happen.....ever.

[jimlongley]

The phrase "wild west" has become a term of art to Second Amendment activists, because the Brady Campaign and other anti-gunners always use it to mean death and mayhem. But Senator Wentworth used it in the context of legalizing open-carry and I believe he was comparing open-carry now with open-carry when it was legal in Texas in the late 1800's. I am absolutely certain he was not implying Texas gun owners would be irresponsible. If that was his belief, he would never have been a strong supporter HB1815, Motorist Protection Act.

Chas.

In that case, I think he could have found a better phrase to express himself with. His use of it plays right into the hands of those who have co-opted and warped it to mean something it does not, and many more people that I have talked to about the issue take it the wrong way.

[jimlongley]

You won't have to worry about me asking your group for any help, it won't happen.....ever.

Then you are cutting off important allies.