Texas Gun Laws: http://www.texasgunlaws.org/
Q: Can I carry a firearm on my person?
A: Yes, with proper licensing (Concealed Handgun License) you may carry a pistol or revolver on your person so long as it remains concealed. Long guns (rifles / shotguns) do not have to be concealed, but must be carried in a manner not calculated to cause alarm, and do not require a license.
Q: Can I strap a gun on my hip in Texas?
A: No, with some exceptions. Open carry is not legal in Texas, but you may open carry on your own property, in the commission of a sporting activity (competition, shooting ranges, etc.), and while engaged in hunting.
As I see it, this Texas “Open Carry” law hangs on this ambiguous clause: “must be carried in a manner not calculated to cause alarm”
Now, what in the Hell does that mean?
If the people of Texas don’t like this “Open Carry” law, they should petition their elected representatives to change it, and if their elected representatives refuse to change the law, the people of Texas should vote them out of office.
But, until this law is changed, the people of Texas violate this law at their own peril, as it should be in a State where the “Rule of Law” prevails.
Florida has very similar language. Concealed carry only, then only with a CWP, unless on ones own property, including ones own commercial business, or when hunting. Open carry is never permitted. The state only recently amended the law to “allow” for inadvertent exposure of a concealed firearm by a CWP holder, i.e., windblown covering garment. Floridas rules are pretty clear but a lot of them have never been adjudicated.