Posted on 07/14/2008 4:10:51 AM PDT by marktwain
An online petition for residents to carry handguns in plain sight in Texas had obtained more than 20,000 signatures last week. The petition will be submitted to Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature sometime in the future.
According to the petition, Texas is one of only six states in the U.S. that ban the use of publicly displayed handguns – also known as "open-carry" handguns.
Ten states – Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont and Wyoming – allow residents to openly carry a handgun without a license, the petition stated, including those states as one reason why Texas should adopt an open-carry law.
Other reasons listed in the petition include:
It is a constitutional right to bear arms.
People who are going to commit crimes with guns don't abide by the law anyway.
People have the right to defend themselves against death and bodily injury.
It is too hot in Texas to wear a jacket that would conceal a handgun.
A concealed handgun cannot be drawn quickly enough to save a person's life.
Criminals won't carry guns openly anyway because they don't want to draw attention to themselves.
Crime will be deterred by openly carrying handguns.
Some Central Texans are in support of the petition, including Steve Garza of Pflugerville, who commutes to Killeen every day.
"I would prefer that (the law) be open carry ?," Garza said. "Open carry and concealed is a simple matter of choice."
Garza is waiting to get his concealed handgun license from the state, he said.
He believes that carrying a gun in plain view will deter criminals from attacking him or others around him because of his displayed firearm, Garza said.
But others, such as David Cheadle, a Guns Galore employee, believe otherwise.
"It takes away your advantage," Cheadle said.
A person who is determined to rob a store will see you as a threat and attack you first, Cheadle said.
Cheadle's view is shared by Lloyd Leppo, a concealed handgun instructor and owner of a gun range in Kempner.
"If a bad guy walks into an open room, I would like him not to know if there is one person, no persons or 100 persons who have a gun," Leppo said.
Another problem with carrying a gun in the open is that the gun can potentially become a weapon used by someone else against you, Cheadle said.
"There are so many people that can get to that gun," Leppo said. "How many times do we see stories of an officer getting shot with his own gun?"
While officers have a number of safety measures on their holsters and are trained in self-defense, a lot of people don't take proper precautions, Cheadle said.
A person can walk up behind someone, take the handgun and use it against that person or someone else, Cheadle said.
Another concern that Cheadle and Leppo share is that people will treat their guns like their cars.
Open carry will give people a reason to "dress up" their guns. Cheadle predicts that people will start carrying guns with diamonds on them and guns in all sorts of fancy colors.
"I know how big and gaudy the belt buckles are in this state; I can only imagine what the guns are going to be like," Leppo said.
This creates a problem because that handgun is more than likely to be shown off and possibly passed out of its holster, which increases the potential for accidental discharge, Cheadle said.
People like Edward Isenberg, owner of handgun distributor Just Glocks, aren't sure which type of law they'd prefer.
"I haven't seen the petition, but I would not for sure sign it," Isenberg said Tuesday.
For Isenberg, carrying a handgun and having it displayed openly means making a common sense judgment.
If you were hunting and had your sidearm in a holster and stopped for a sandwich, you may not take if off before eating, Isenberg said. In contrast, why would someone need to carry a handgun into a bank? he asked.
"People have really good intentions, but it all lies in how they carry," Isenberg said.
Contact Mason W. Canales at mcanales@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7554.
Oh it’s legal in New Jersey... they just never issue one to anyone who isn’t a law enforcement officer. They haven’t given a private citizen a carry permit in decades. It’s arbitrary and capricious, but that doesn’t stop them.
Thank you for the URL. It now has one more signature....
“The constitution is a national protection. We should be able to get a federal concealed carry permit that is good everywhere.”
Actually we should push for using the “full faith and credit” section of the Constitution that is supposed to make a state honor acts by other states. You know, like the libs want gay marriage to be honored by other states. You don’t have to get a new driver’s license in every state you travel through, a carry permit shouldn’t be any different.
Man, you got me figured out all right.
Oh my God! Who are these sick bastages who want to carry GUNS!!!! We’re DOOMED!
:)
Oh wait. They are Americans and they have INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS to carry weapons. Never mind
Agreed.
Thanks for the link, I’ve added my 2 cents and Signed the Petition. I would carry everyday if I could open carry when away from the ranch. I open carry all the time there.
AFAIC, my Federally-Issued concealed carry permit is found in COTUS 2A.
I’ll not be testing that any time soon, as I have nothing concealable at the moment.
Absolutely. If someone is too dangerous to be trusted with a firearm, they should not be released from prison. But people who had a DUI 20 years ago, for instance, should absolutely be able to carry.
Try a Keltec .32. I love mine but the ammo is expensive.
When did you get your DUI?
Err, I've never had one. I make my old lady drive my drunk a$$ around. I was using that as an example. As another example, what would be the danger in having a former tax cheat carrying?
First time DUIs are misdemeanors, unless you kill or injure someone. I’m not at all keen on felons of any ilk carrying, or voting.
I am so tired of FR. I think I will stop for a month or two and try to find out where the smart people went.
What's that supposed to mean? Last I could tell, we were having a calm, reasonable discussion of the topic. What about my post made you question my intelligence? And the type of people who end up on FR-spinoff sites may be "smart", but they also tend to be pathological douches. FR is definitely the "cool kids" table of the lunchroom which is the Internet.
They're going to anyway, and like other folks have said, if they are that dangerous they should still be in prison, not walking the streets. Why should law abiding citizens have to beg some despot to allow them to defend themselves, while criminals do so with immunity?
I’d have to get another infringement (a “purchase permit”) first. I decline.
Grr.
I’d like to have back the little Colt Mustang I had 16 years ago (sold it). Grr again. Fit nicely in a jeans pocket, which if loose enough, didn’t show an imprint.
And I agree that if you can't trust a released ex-felon who served his whole sentence with a gun, then the problem is the sentence wasn't long enough.
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