Final thoughts on Texas Open Carry

The OC movement in Texas says that they want to have open carry legalized in their state. Under the current law in Texas, open carry of a handgun is illegal, but OC of a rifle is legal. Hence, their OC movement carries long guns with the stated purpose of getting handgun OC legalized.

That’s where we part company. Instead of having “look at me look at me” attention grabbing events, I would have a lot more respect for the OC movement in Texas if they organized a massive civil disobedience event where they all open carried handguns in defiance of the law. That would be an impressive and powerful piece of activism. That’s why I laugh when OC people compare themselves to civil rights advocates from the 60s and 70s. Those people were actually breaking the law to make a point about the injustice of the laws of their time. What OC advocates are doing is obeying the letter of the law in an annoying fashion.

So, open carry Texas, it’s time to man up. You want to prove that you’re really advocating for OC in Texas? Try some actual civil disobediance. Get your big boy pants on, man up, and put together the most impressive handgun OC rally ever seen. It’s time to stop with the childish, attention grabbing, rifle carrying nonsense.

14 Comments

  1. Im wondering, why is there more people passionate about legalizing open carry than there are trying to get 50 state concealed carry and reciprocity? Seems the wrong movement.

  2. CD for OC by the men and women of Texas….plenty of room in the jails ,since the DOJ let all the ‘illegal criminals’ out…fill em up boys and girls…retake your Republic….imho

  3. A fair point, Caleb, but it’s likely our next legislative session will properly correct the open carry laws. Sadly, I think this will result in a LOT more establishments legally banning any kind of carry, which will definitely cause some interesting backlash. We shall see. For now, we need to elect a strong new governor (and fortunately, the opposition is an “airhead” who pretty much has no idea what side of a gun goes boom http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/01/31/Dukakis-Moment-Wendy-Davis-Cautiously-Wields-Gun-At-Fundraiser )

  4. This is like trying to get breastfeeding in public legalized by running around without a top on fondling your tits. Actually, it’s worse, because I’d like to be at _that_ protest.

  5. I was with you until you told them to disobey the law and open carry with handguns……I think that would create some backlash.
    How about they just shut up and quit ruining it for everyone by being obnoxious.
    Based on what those morons looked like, it was not the crème de la crème.

    1. Actually, I kinda like this argument. The 2nd amendment is a real enumerated right that is being trod upon in the name of people’s feelings. How is that OK? A giant, possibly nationwide, display of civil disobedience is a good start. If you look back at the beginnings of the gay/lesbian rights movement, a lot of people had to go to jail before they started making headway. Women’s right to vote? Less familiar with that battle, so I’ll leave it for others. Blacks? People died and continue to die for that one.

      1. A little civil disobedience is fine. But intentionally breaking the law with the item we are trying to protect is giving more fodder to the opposite side. How about an old fashioned sit in or march…..like the women’s right to vote or blacks. We all agree on the objective….just a different strategy on best way to achieve it…

  6. That should read “Hence, *some members* of their OC movement carry long guns…”

    Most folks who do want handgun OC do not support or condone the clowns that are damaging our cause. In fact, my mental reaction to getting grouped in with such idiots sounds just like Ash distancing himself from Henry’s men.

    http://tinyurl.com/ng4uxxp

  7. The idea isn’t to get the public accustomed to seeing people walking around with rifles in their arms.
    The idea is to demonstrate that people with rifles are not necessarily terrorists!
    That’s the point at which Open Carry Texas lost all connection with reality.
    I admire their passion, and honor their commitment … but their methods were bizarre!

    As are some other gun owners, I’m embarrassed by the clumsy way OCT tried to make their point. They couldn’t have been a worse argument for OCT if they had walked into the restaurant with their trousers around their ankles.

    They wanted to make a statement. And they did.
    Unfortunately, the statement they made was that gun-owners are represented by Out of Control, Texas; irresponsible, and .. well, I was going to say “weird”, but you can insert your own adjective here.

    Thanks for the (not-so-nice) try, guys. Now please, work on keeping a low profile for the next decade while we try to sort out the flurry of armed robberies inflicted on fast-food joints with “no guns” posters on their doors … which have newly flourished since your unannounced, unwelcome, and unauthorized (by the owners) “Demonstration”.

  8. Intelligent, recommend people to break the law to break through the legal barrier barring the right. Yep, and you think those other guys were the foolish group . . . . you really are a Bloomy supporter aren’t you? Should we all try to board airplanes with guns too? What’s with all you people against those doing nothing other than practicing a right they have? They did nothing illegal in the state of Texas.

  9. IANAL, but…

    The civil rights analogy is a little weak. The civil disobedience of the civil rights movement (legally) was more about disobeying state laws that conflicted with federal laws, but the federal laws were unenforced (see Freedom Riders). Segregation was illegal according to the federal government, but some states still enforced segregation laws. By contrast, the supreme court and federal government have both upheld that states have a right to place some restrictions on firearms. If there was a federal law making it illegal for states to restrict open carry and Texas or other states still enforced open carry restrictions, that would be a good time for civil disobedience. Without some form of government or mass public support, demonstrators will get steam rolled.

    Also, the way the law is written, if I read it right, under certain circumstances open carry or carrying without a license is a felony. Part of getting your license is learning what all those circumstances are, and from what I’ve seen of folks who enjoy participating in protests and the layout of the Texas capitol’s neighborhood, I don’t doubt such a mass demonstration would result in many oblivious people openly carrying in a bar.

    Texas open carry laws will likely change in the next year or so, so there’s not much point in putting mass effort behind that movement anyway. If you feel like spending a weekend walking around wearing your handgun or rifle in public, maybe you should figure out how many hours that would take you, multiply that by the current minimum wage, and donate that amount to the NRA-ILA so they can pay for lobbyists and lawyers that enact real and lasting change. I don’t have an NRA membership any more because I think all the “club” stuff they do is a waste of money, but the ILA will receive an annual donation from me.

    People who really understand how this country works don’t put on demonstrations, they create associations, charge dues, and use the money to lobby and fight relevant issues in court. Case law and legislation are the only agents of legal change, and an advertising campaign for a candidate who will vote your way goes a lot further in swaying public opinion than making a nuisance of yourself parading around downtown, blocking traffic, and littering with your “literature.”

  10. While riding my bike through downtown Houston this morning, I encountered a group of long-rifle open carriers waving an Open Carry Texas banner. “Oh,” I thought, “that’s interesting.” I stopped my bicycle at an intersection and watched while the group crossed the street in front of me. There were about 10 or 12 people in the group, including a couple of children being towed in some sort of wagon. They seemed more goofy than scary to me, pretty much like the guys in the infamous Chipotle photo. I support open carry in Texas, but I think the cause would be better served by protesters who looked less like scruffy, tubby video gamers than the folks in this group.

  11. I enjoy my 2nd A freedoms too much at this point to give them up breaking a law with a weapon, thus compounding the infraction. I still wonder why Micheal Yon thinks CJ Grisham is a POS? Oh wait….

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