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Darwood wrote:I'm curious, did the laws quell the mob violence?

Weapons laws passed during reconstruction did not eliminate mob violence. I don't know to what those laws reduced the number or severity of violent incidents. Statistics from that era are difficult to come by.

Certainly, in some places, weapons laws allowed one side to be selectively disarmed. Often blacks were left at the mercy of white mobs, though there was also white-on-white violence and retaliation by blacks.

- Jim

The_Vigilante wrote:Let's see, I can carry a firearm which can inflict a lot more damage than a baton, billy club, etc. Why not a baton?

During Reconstruction, there was a lot of mob violence in Texas.

In an attempt to quell it, the Legislature made it an offense to carry a handgun, "illegal" knife, or club, except in some narrow circumstances. Those laws remain on the books today.

In 1995, the Legislature decided to authorize concealed handgun licenses. I don't know if allowing other weapons was considered or not at the time. (I didn't live here then.)

Some states issue concealed weapon permits, which allow the licensee to carry anything from a handgun to brass knuckles or oriental martial arts weapons.

- Jim