Why not just concealed carry without a permit? I don't have a permit (but plan to get one), nor do I carry but I've never been in a situation where I was searched by police. So why not just cary without the permit?
Because you'll go to jail without it, if you get caught. Big if, and a gamble. If you save your life with the gun and haven't been caught prior to the life-saving incident, its worth it.
OTOH, if you go to jail for possesion of a concealed weapon after being stopped for a broken tail light, you're going to be really pissed. Hence the law.
That's fine, but since I get pulled over at least every 2-3 years for a speed trap, I figure that's the one time a Tx Hwy Patrolman would remind me that the Leg has authorized him to present anyone carrying that's not "authorized" for felony charges....also, if I carry a Bowie Knife in Texas, I could go to jail. Sucks, but we've gone that far away from James' days.
So, I try to work within the system. I carry my 357, in a holster, in plain view, whenever I walk about on my land...and I menace all rodents, snakes and other mal-critters...and bad guys, though I haven't seen any of them yet.
The kicker is that some communities don't allow concealed firearms, which makes it difficult for people passing through on the way to go hunting or even to a shooting range. With the CHP, whatever it is called locally, a person is relatively free to throw the firearms in a box or in the trunk of the car and go on about his business.