TexasCHLforum.com

Gun stores, ranges, pawnshops, and gunshows that ban CHL carry, and people who have CHLs but want to ban other people (like plumbers and such) from carrying in their home (referencing another thread on this site) provide terrific validation of the argument that allowing concealed carry is a too dangerous to public safety and should not be allowed. If the very people who are "in the business" support CHL carry in theory but refuse to support it in practice, why should those who oppose CHL carry be forced to accept the same, obviously excessive risk (since even the gunnies won't tolerate it), in other public and private spheres?

Carrying guns is not without risk, but the public policy argument for concealed carry is that the benefits far outweigh the risks. I think the stats overwhelmingly support this, but when allegedly gun-friendly places put up 30.06 signs or otherwise forbid CHL carry, they signal that they don't believe this. If I were on the anti-gun side, I would make a list of every one of these places and then hammer the press and the legislature with it at the next session.

I do my best not to patronize such places.

When I do go to a range other than my own, I carry concealed --- period -- and I do not take out my carry gun at the range (unless of course I am threatened with imminent deadly force). Since most ranges do not allow draw from the holster anyway (another flaw with public ranges from the CHL point of view), if I want to shoot my daily carry gun, then I put it in the range bag, and carry a copy in my concealed holster.

I largely solved this issue for myself by buying a big enough piece of land that I have my own private shooting space, where I can practice presentation, combat reloads, etc, so I seldom go to a public range anymore.

I might be persuaded to go to a range, for example that publicly adopted my policy, e.g. if you are carrying concealed, fine, don't unholster it except in "emergencies." But essentially banning CHL carry entirely is not right.

As a contrast -- at John Farnam's courses, you are supposed to have a concealed, loaded handgun on you at all times on the range. You are not to unholster it until in an actual firing exercise. Breaks, lunch, lectures between drills, etc are all done armed. As John notes, one must always treat a gun as if it is loaded, so it might as well be loaded and ready!


elb