Arizona Stands with Open Carry Texas

Gun Watch ^ | 10 July, 2014 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

At this time of year in Arizona, I open carry.   I was in a McDonald's, drinking coffee and using the Internet when I considered how ordinary this all was, and how much heat was being put on Open Carry Texas for merely working to obtain the same freedoms in Texas.   Freedoms that are part of the law in most states of the union, somewhere around 44 states, at last count.  It was particularly surprising how much of the heat was coming from within the gun culture. 

So I decided to stand with Texas.   I saw a gentleman who did not seem too occupied, and asked him to take my picture.    He was happy to do so.  You can see the result above.   There were a group of three moms and four girls that watched the process.   I mentioned that I was writing an article, and one of the moms,  Shanna Godinez, said:

I approve of open carry.   Then we know who is carrying and who is not.  

Interestingly, this was the most common attitude of the population up until the 1930s.  It is how concealed carry came to be restricted.   The open carry of long guns did not elicit any negatives from the population up until at least the 1950's, even in New York City.    I told her of the campaign to show open carriers as irresponsible, and she said:

Gun owners are more responsible than other people!

I should have taken a picture of the group.   They were excited and happy, and one of the girls, who appeared to be about 10, gave me a big, friendly smile as she went out the door.

I regretted not taking their picture, so I decided to ask Luis P. Sevilla, the gentleman who had taken my picture, if I could take his.   He had no problem with that, and we started to talk guns.   He said that he had open carried himself, many times, with a local Charro group (Mexican cowboys) in numerous parades.    We discussed the stupidity of California gun law.

Luis P. Sevilla

What struck me about the experience was the support that I received.   Shanna volunteered that she supported open carry.   As I recall, she said she was from Phoenix.   I asked Luis to take the picture at the spur of the moment, and he was supportive as well, and had open carried himself.   None of us had ever met before.

True, Arizona is a pretty gun friendly state, but so is Texas.  The false narrative that Moms Demand Action is trying to push, is that the people in that McDonalds are ordinarily terrified of people like me.   The overriding response to open carry, which I have observed in several states, and have had relayed to me by numerous other open carriers is... support.   Support and indifference are the two most common reactions. 

Negative reactions are a tiny minority of the responses, but the Bloomberg media campaign is attempting to create the false narrative that the tiny minority is a large majority.



 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

[marktwain]

Open carry is more comfortable in hot weather.

[Caipirabob]

I’m fine with it. Love the horrified reaction of the left. Cheers and safe shooting, we all need to be ready...

[jsanders2001]

Open carrying handguns into public places is one thing; open carrying AR-15’s is another. Sure it’s your right (for now) but those young 20 somethings aren’t helping the cause and the LIV public is alarmed by it (out if ignorance no less) and sees it as nothing more than a display of bravado and defiance and react accordingly and it isn’t favorable. It just doesn’t show prudent behavior IMHO.

[kjam22]

The open carry doesn’t bother me... but I don’t know about the socks...

[isthisnickcool]

I was in downtown Austin of ALL places a few weeks back and a group was openly carrying AR-15’s. A few people on the street reacted to the people carrying very strongly by asking the people carrying things like “who made that?”, “cool optics!”, “I have several of those in my gun safe”, etc. (Sarcasm off).

Most people did not react at all. The people carrying could have been carrying pink cotton candy and they would have been noticed more.

Texas, I love it!

[Tucker39]

Yeah, man! It’s got to be low cut socks or none at all.

Another big hoot, according to my many friends south of the Mason-Dixon Line is to “see a Yankee walkin’ around wearing socks with SANDALS!”

They “ROFLMAO” when they see THAT.

[IYAS9YAS]

Open carrying handguns into public places is one thing; open carrying AR-15’s is another. Sure it’s your right (for now) but those young 20 somethings aren’t helping the cause and the LIV public is alarmed by it (out if ignorance no less) and sees it as nothing more than a display of bravado and defiance and react accordingly and it isn’t favorable. It just doesn’t show prudent behavior IMHO.

The crux of the matter being that the open-carrying of rifles is legal in Texas, where the open-carrying of handguns is not.

The group is trying to work within the legal bounds of the law, to get open carry of handguns made legal.

Once that happens, the likelihood is that open carry of rifles will go down, and that of handguns will go up.

[ThunderSleeps]

Here in Colorado seeing someone open carrying in the local grocery store or Walmart is just about a weekly occurrence. Can't remember every seeing anyone react to it.

I kinda miss the horrified reactions of libs. I did manage to get a reaction from a coworker's liberal girlfriend. We were at an after work social get together (farewell to a departing coworker). I had stopped at home, picked up Mrs. ThunderSleeps and my Glock. Over dinner at a local restaurant the conversation turned to CC. Lib girlfriend (seated across from me) wondered if there was anyone in the restaurant carrying. I could tell by the way she posed the question to the group she didn't like the idea. I couldn't help it, I admit the character flaw... I looked her right in the eye and said "There's a reason I'm only drinking iced tea..." You could just see the realization dawn on her. Priceless.

[Undecided 2012]

Open carrying handguns into public places is one thing; open carrying AR-15’s is another. Sure it’s your right (for now) but those young 20 somethings aren’t helping the cause and the LIV public is alarmed by it (out if ignorance no less) and sees it as nothing more than a display of bravado and defiance and react accordingly and it isn’t favorable. It just doesn’t show prudent behavior IMHO.
The crux of the matter being that the open-carrying of rifles is legal in Texas, where the open-carrying of handguns is not.

The group is trying to work within the legal bounds of the law, to get open carry of handguns made legal.

Once that happens, the likelihood is that open carry of rifles will go down, and that of handguns will go up.

I live in rural texas and open carry sidearms wouldn’t bother me but where I live aomeone walking into a place with an AR15 would look kind of weird. Unless they were walking along the road hunting otherwise hmm

[jsanders2001]

Open carry would probably deter a lot of crime but you know how the gun grabbers will react.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Open carry is fine with me. In GA you don’t see much of it though. Most of us CC.