Actually, this is exactly what needs to be done. I joined partly to reward the TSRA for the great work they have done in the past but also to lobby for some form of OC in the future.MBGuy wrote:I'm going to agree with Charles on the keep-it-simple idea. The more complex it is, the more snags there are for the anti-gunners to pull on.
One thing that, IIRC, was mentioned a while back was that the TSRA does what it's members want it to do. If the TSRA is already politically saavy in Austin, what if all of us pro-OC'ers join the TSRA then tell them that we want to have OC legalized, and let them use their expertise in Austin to get it done? They're effective, they've done a great job, and they're accessible, what more do we want?
As others have rightly noted about the success of small steps, I'm all for incrementalism. It has been proven to work, both for us and the anti-2A crowd. That's why I would be willing to add cost or additional training to it at first, and then take it away later. That doens't mean that's what I would prefer, but rather what I would settle for in order to get "half a loaf" now. Maybe just lowering the penalty for Unlawful Carry of a Handgun by a License Holder from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class C is a good start. It would still be illegal and you could be fined for it (or arrested, though I think I'd want language specifying ticketing like for speeding) but you wouldn't lose your CHL. How sad is it when carrying your gun openly is a greater crime than 1st time DWI?
I'm for as simple a system as we can get. Hopefully after the session, TSRA will take a good, objective look at open carry (how it works in other states, what would be the smartest way to approach it, what are the risks as well as the rewards, etc.).SA-TX