Posted on 07/14/2008 4:10:51 AM PDT by marktwain
An online petition for residents to carry handguns in plain sight in Texas had obtained more than 20,000 signatures last week. The petition will be submitted to Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature sometime in the future.
According to the petition, Texas is one of only six states in the U.S. that ban the use of publicly displayed handguns – also known as "open-carry" handguns.
Ten states – Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont and Wyoming – allow residents to openly carry a handgun without a license, the petition stated, including those states as one reason why Texas should adopt an open-carry law.
Other reasons listed in the petition include:
It is a constitutional right to bear arms.
People who are going to commit crimes with guns don't abide by the law anyway.
People have the right to defend themselves against death and bodily injury.
It is too hot in Texas to wear a jacket that would conceal a handgun.
A concealed handgun cannot be drawn quickly enough to save a person's life.
Criminals won't carry guns openly anyway because they don't want to draw attention to themselves.
Crime will be deterred by openly carrying handguns.
Some Central Texans are in support of the petition, including Steve Garza of Pflugerville, who commutes to Killeen every day.
"I would prefer that (the law) be open carry ?," Garza said. "Open carry and concealed is a simple matter of choice."
Garza is waiting to get his concealed handgun license from the state, he said.
He believes that carrying a gun in plain view will deter criminals from attacking him or others around him because of his displayed firearm, Garza said.
But others, such as David Cheadle, a Guns Galore employee, believe otherwise.
"It takes away your advantage," Cheadle said.
A person who is determined to rob a store will see you as a threat and attack you first, Cheadle said.
Cheadle's view is shared by Lloyd Leppo, a concealed handgun instructor and owner of a gun range in Kempner.
"If a bad guy walks into an open room, I would like him not to know if there is one person, no persons or 100 persons who have a gun," Leppo said.
Another problem with carrying a gun in the open is that the gun can potentially become a weapon used by someone else against you, Cheadle said.
"There are so many people that can get to that gun," Leppo said. "How many times do we see stories of an officer getting shot with his own gun?"
While officers have a number of safety measures on their holsters and are trained in self-defense, a lot of people don't take proper precautions, Cheadle said.
A person can walk up behind someone, take the handgun and use it against that person or someone else, Cheadle said.
Another concern that Cheadle and Leppo share is that people will treat their guns like their cars.
Open carry will give people a reason to "dress up" their guns. Cheadle predicts that people will start carrying guns with diamonds on them and guns in all sorts of fancy colors.
"I know how big and gaudy the belt buckles are in this state; I can only imagine what the guns are going to be like," Leppo said.
This creates a problem because that handgun is more than likely to be shown off and possibly passed out of its holster, which increases the potential for accidental discharge, Cheadle said.
People like Edward Isenberg, owner of handgun distributor Just Glocks, aren't sure which type of law they'd prefer.
"I haven't seen the petition, but I would not for sure sign it," Isenberg said Tuesday.
For Isenberg, carrying a handgun and having it displayed openly means making a common sense judgment.
If you were hunting and had your sidearm in a holster and stopped for a sandwich, you may not take if off before eating, Isenberg said. In contrast, why would someone need to carry a handgun into a bank? he asked.
"People have really good intentions, but it all lies in how they carry," Isenberg said.
Contact Mason W. Canales at mcanales@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7554.
Sometimes open carry works best, sometimes concealed. We should have both options.
“Sometimes open carry works best, sometimes concealed. We should have both options”
As a Texan, I agree.
In New Jersey we have neither. Only retired law enforcement have “the right” to carry a firearm, the rest of us must remain helpless.
Yep! I personally would keep my weapon concealed most of the time. But, it would be nice to not have to worry about the wind blowing my shirt tails up when exiting the car and having my pistol exposed, too. I agree wholeheartedly with the statement of not telegraphing who or how many "good" weapons are in a situation when a bad guy comes around.
What a lot of this boils down to is folks don’t want to have to ask the government for permission (apply for a permit) to exercise a Constitutionally protected right. Here in Virginia OC is not specifically prohibited, so it is legal for anyone not otherwise legally prohibited to carry openly. Sure there is no tactical advantage to it, but it is an option.
The constitution is a national protection. We should be able to get a federal concealed carry permit that is good everywhere.
I disagree. We shouldn't have to get a permit to carry ANYWHERE.
So felons should be able to carry?
You question the right of your fellow human beings the right to self defense?
The beauty behind gun rights is it will force the government to keep dangerous and dishonest people behind bars where they belong. Anyone outside of the prison system should be able to be trusted with a firearm.
Umm, criminals tend to be, well, criminals and therefore, carry whenever they feel like it anyway.
The only real effect of guns laws is to make criminals of law abiding citizens.
While I agree, remember that anything done by the Federal government can as easily be UNDONE. It would be much more effective to allow states to mandate reciprocity agreements or compacts between themselves and other states which (barring some kind of federal ban -- unlikely in the face of the Heller decision) would then have to be dismantled by the antis on a state by state basis. Those efforts would be easier to fight.
Wondering why Kansas is not on the “open carry” list. There is incomplete research here...
Most of the crimes against the innocent are done by felons who carry already.Most of the crimes done today are by felons who have no respect for the law,are on probation and shouldn't have any guns but have them. I should have to pay for a background check, license, course etc. and they don't. I agree we shouldn't need a permit ANYWHERE.
I agree.
I was under the impression that we in Illinois and neighboring Wisconsin were the only states to not have any form of concealed carry license.
Are they still citizens?
Howdy Y’all,
I agree with this because as a 100% disabled person,who walks with a cane in public,I’m a natural target for muggers..a person in a wheelchair would be an even bigger target..and the muggers know that many disabled folks git paid on the first or the third.
Here’s the petition addy : http://www.petitiononline.com/texasoc/petition.html
It will only take a few minutes of yer time.
Have a good one !
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