ralewis wrote: My point is -- in the process of legislating us new rights (which if we're purists here we'd accept that the whole concept of licensing in the first place is unconstitutional) we may cause some initial alarm that results in businesses responding to their customer base who may object to that by posting lawful 30.06 signs.
Possible some places, likely others... (such as Austin). Austin, (where I grew up) is quite the liberal bastion..so I would expect some degree of "reaction" based on liberals perceptions.
I'm also doubtful that folks will be convinced that guns aren't inherently dangerous as a result of this anymore than you can have/win the abortion argument (whatever side you are on) with someone with deeply convicted views to the contrary.
Here...I disagree. While some folks will never be swayed....most will eventually apply a smidgen of intellectual honesty and admit they were wrong. Clearly, guns are NOT "inherently" dangerous. People sometimes misuse them...but I have yet to see a gun get up and go around shooting people.
No doubt...many people believe that the mere presence of a gun means they are in danger. Well, if we never prove it any different, then they will continue to have that notion.
Consider this, (just as ludicrous as the fear of guns):
North Americans believed tomatoes were poisonous until 1820, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson disproved that myth during a public demonstration on the courthouse steps in Salem, NJ
Same thing with firearms, some people just have to be shown. I mean really....after the tenth time you witness ordinary people eating lunch, going to work, traveling, etc...without incident, you should be questioning your prior beliefs. But this will never happen if a certain segment of gun owners are not bold enough to "take it out there".
I'm in the Austin area, and I could definitely see this happening in Travis County. I'd expect to see a lot more 30.06 signs. And I'm not sure what will have been gained by all this.
I agree.... but only because of location and the liberal element in Austin. I would expect the same 30.06 signs to come down eventually...unless the owner is just trying to make a personal/political statement.
Until then, I'm content to carry quietly and within the law here in Texas, and I try not to make too many waves.
As were many thousands of folks before Concealed Carry. In years past many, many... folks kept a handgun in their vehicles, and just kept a low profile. In years past, LEO (unless you were doing something criminal) pretty much looked the other way.
It took a group of people who were NOT "content" with this to get Concealed Carry passed. We should NEVER be "content" when it comes to advancing our gun rights. We have to be smart about it, we have to be persistent and patient, but we must not be afraid to make small "waves". Small waves can erode away the ill-gotten ideas and perceptions some folks harbor.
But make no mistake,
inaction, fear and complacency is a recipe for gun rights loss. No broken eggs, NO OMELET!
