TexasCHLforum.com

KC5AV wrote:I'd like to know what the open carry advocates have been doing for the last year since the legislature adjourned on June 1. Why have they waited until 6 months before the elections to attempt to get this on the TSRA agenda?

alankorwin wrote:I live in Arizona where we have always had open carry, and it is a mixed blessing.

Before we had concealed carry (1994) open carry was the only option (ever since statehood in 1912), and it is off-putting to say the least in many situations, a deterrent on the right to keep and bear. You must be constantly wary of a snatch attempt. Many people see open carry and find it threatening and intimidating. It stands out in social circles, attracts unwanted attention, removes tactical advantage in a confrontation, makes you more of a target than you might want to be, prohibits carry where being discreet is the norm (back when concealment was not an option).

On the other hand, open carry provides "the inoculation effect," accustomizing people to seeing their fellow citizens bearing arms at the bakery, bank or strolling peacefully around town. It prevents the abuse Texans currently face for a gun merely visible, or "printing" through clothing. We enjoy periodic open-carry lunches, dinners and banquets, with dozens and even hundreds of people openly armed and enjoying meals and camaraderie. Buffet restaurants are particularly nice, because participants get a lot of exposure, and management likes the business we provide. Civil rights groups hold meetings with an invitation that says, "Tasteful open carry appreciated," motivating people to get nicely matching leather and mag carriers.

More important than open carry though, in my opinion, is Constitutional Carry. Texans own guns in any quantity and of any type legally available with virtually no government interference. But possession in public requires a government-issued permission slip, with applications, paperwork, approvals, classes, testing, fingerprints, photographs, entry into criminal-database lists, taxes called "fees," waiting and expiration dates -- expiration dates on your rights! And this is proudly known as "right to carry." So-called "right to carry" got us a long way forward from where we were. But all those requirements and hoops are humiliating from a constitutional perspective.

True Freedom To Carry means you can possess your private property, anywhere you can legally be, without bowing and scraping for permission from the king. In Arizona it's called Constitutional Carry, and we are now the 5th state to have it in some form. Texas beat us to it with the Motorist Protection Act in 2007, but basically only to, from and in vehicles (and a little more). If you step out of your vehicle you must forfeit your rights until you get back in (unless you have an unexpired plastic-coated permission slip, which 97% of Texans do not).

You know motorist carry is working, without classes and the rest of the people controls, despite the old tired dire lamestream-media claims of blood in the streets when it passed. It seems to me a person in Texas should be able to get out of the car, go have a burger and a malted with a gun safely tucked under a shirt, and not be subject to arrest, as we currently are. The freedom that would provide vastly outweighs (and would be far less polarizing) than the also important ability to have a gun visible and not create a firestorm of legal trouble for an innocent individual exercising basic human rights.

Alan Korwin

OC carry will be pursued in 2011, even Charles recognizes this. How will TSRA respond if a legislator asks for their review or opinion on a draft bill?

G.A. Heath wrote:To summarize the results of this thread
1: TSRA is not going to do anything for OC at this time, its not part of their agenda because there is not enough interest in their membership.
2: TSRA will not appose a GOOD OC bill (Last years drafted legislation does not qualify as good), but will appose a bad one.
3: OCDO Has made personal attacks on legislators, TSRA staff, ect. and as a result has hurt their efforts in the future.
4: A Texas based organization is needed because: A: Texans don't want to be told what to do by people from out of state. B: It has more political potential.
5: SCCC may not be a Texas based organization but after the Virginia Tech attack the governor indicated he would support such legislation so it gets a better position than OC along with other reasons).
6: Its too late to get the TSRA involved in this years OC movement, even if the membership showed major support for it, so we need to quit beating that dead horse.

Conagher wrote:

Purplehood wrote:IMHO, it is really all about just how much Kool-Aid that our legislators and the electorate are willing to swallow at one time, especially when it is a new flavor.
I believe that if they swig the whole package at once, it gets spewed out. If they try one or two flavors at a time, they might sip and learn to enjoy.
Since OC is my least favorite flavor, I prefer the others get served up first. Your priorities may or may not be different.

Thanks Purplehood. I think I understand your preference and priorities, and I do not necessarily disagree with your priorities. However, I still believe you are making an invalid assumption that the Open Carry Kool-Aid will not be served to our legislators and the electorate without TSRA involvement. This was not true last session, and it will not be true this session. My belief is the only way this ingredient can be effectively administered is for TSRA to become the cook.

Thanks and Have a Nice Day!

Conagher wrote:Hello Everyone.

Hopefully everybody has had an opportunity to review and consider the SA-TX post OK passes open carry & TSRA planning for Texas '11 session http://www.texaschlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=94&t=34325. The discussions provided a lot of insight on the Texas Open Carry topic.

I am personally convinced that it is imperative that TSRA manage the Texas Open Carry effort to ensure coherency with the parking lot and campus carry effort as well as the administration of priority, consistency, and the legislative politics for all Texas 2A legislation. I am deeply concerned that if Open Carry is ignored by TSRA then not only do we run the risk of OC being painted in a negative light, but soured 2A sentiments could also negatively impact both the parking lot and campus carry effort.

As such, I would like to make a plea; if you are a member of TSRA (if not, please consider joining http://www.tsra.com) please send the following message to Alice Tripp, TSRA Legislative Director, at email address AGTripp@aol.com.

"I am a TSRA member and I request that TSRA support open-carry in the 2011 legislative session."

This is all that is required. The TSRA staff will manage it from there.

If you could be so kind as to respond after you have send your message, it would be most appreciated.

Thanks and Have a Nice Day!