Recent Supreme Court decisions have reaffirmed that the Second Amendment is a personal right.
But according to one group, there’s still one hurdle to clear before that right is fully enjoyed.
The right to keep and bear arms is pretty well understood by most of us, but there is one area that is not.
And it’s a kind of arms bearing that we all know well…thanks to Hollywood.
And it’s a kind of arms bearing that we all know well…thanks to Hollywood.
That’s right…we’ve seen it in a thousand movies. The long walk, the holstered guns…the ultimate confrontation…
But that’s the movies, right? You couldn’t possibly carry that way in real life, right?
Now, in Texas, there a couple of ways you can carry a pistol. You can now carry it in your car. Or, if you have a license, you can carry it concealed on your person. But what if you could carry it out in the open?
John Pierce founded OpenCarry.org, and from him we found out an interesting and little known fact…
There are 43 of the 50 states where open carry is permissible in one form or another.
That’s right, in all but 7 states in the union, you can walk down the street, go into a coffee shop, go shopping all while wearing a gun on your hip. Interestingly, the 7 states that that expressly forbid it, are mostly in the South.
Of course in the real west, there were laws against open carrying in most Texas cities, but Pierce says that’s not the intent of the Constitution.
Pierce says that Governor Rick Perry has promised to sign an open carry bill if it lands on his desk.
He says though that although some legislators are friendly to the idea, no one has stepped forward to propose the bill."
We here in the Gunshine State are awaiting the settling in of the newly elected political folk before renewing the push for open carry. And by the by, the 43 out of 50 states that DO "allow" the sight of a handgun in full frontal view of God and everybody, well, a lot of them have "when-hunting" caveats attached.
I hit the trail and can pretty much wear whatever I wanna as long as I'm after something in-season.
Wild hogs are always in season in Florida.
11 comments:
I hope the Texas open carry bill is filed and passed next session.
Up here in Pennsyltuckey there is not a 'whilst hunting' stipulation. The only real exception is that you can't open carry in 'A City of the 1st class' - meaning Philthadelphia- without a concealed weapons permit. So the question is - are you giving up a tactical advantage by open carrying? - and if so - is it offset by the potential deterrent effect of open carry? Any opinions? I'd like to hear your take on this Fits.
B.D. I hope that Texas does the thing too. Might even move there if they do and Florida does not.
Bah: I've thought about this forever. I spent a loooong time openly carrying a pistol or rifle in one shithole or another and for the same reason bad guys don't rob cop shops they also don't fuck with visible heat no matter who or where its seen. The people who talk about tactical this or not tactical that, well, 99.999% of them never fired a shot in anger so what the frig do they know. Not calling you out, I respect your opinion, but you heard it from somewhere and that somewhere is usually a writer or mall ninja trying to sell you something.
There was less crime in Dodge City at its Wild West peak than in virtually any comparably sized town today. Animals will be animals, but today's animals are impossible to figure out, except for one simple to understand fact.
They are cowards. Cowards look for the easy kill. Am I saying that some little bald fat guy with glasses is going to become an immediate Touch-Me-Not if he packs in plain view? Fuck if I know. I ain't a little bald fat guy with glasses. But I know human nature because its a rarity when anyone fucks with me and that isn't an ounce of braggadocio just facts of life. I'm large. Mean looking and loving it. My voice makes James Earl Jones sound like your Aunt Sally. I don't move an inch off my path for anything on hind legs and of course its an act. I'm cheap. Ammo is expensive nowadays. Cops want you to waste your time filling out forms but the "I'll kill you in a NY second" attitude keeps the flies somewheres else. On shit. Where they're supposed to be.
Bah_Humbug: Some may argue that one might give off their "tactical advantage" (ur words) and that might just be slightly true. Having a concealed weapon has itz advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is the tactical & surprise factor but the main disadvantage is that if u look unarmed u might still get attacked and no one wants that even if we come out out victorious at the end.
Now to Open carry; Advantages: easier to draw weapon, clearly not unarmed, gives gun owners options (especially in hot weather) and one can still be slightly tactical. Disadvantages: Less tactical ability and no element of surprise.
All that said If or hopefully when the Texas Open Carry bill should pass; I would not open carry every were i go. One needs to use their discretion. I would love to know I have that option as a Texas gun owner. 8-)
I'll add one more thought to the stew. The single biggest tactical advantage any man has over someone who'd do him harm, is his mind. Law enforcement wears their weaponry on the outside because it is the quickest way to access firearms, and the very presence of such lethality dissuades all but the most heinous foe.
Open-carrying. you are armed in a manner that provides the fastest way to activate your defense system. As anyone who has participated in the two-way range will tell you, the first shot is always the most important shot. Forget what the salesmen preach, what the thinkers who've never done anything more dangerous than swatting a fly. Of course random chance can screw the pooch but a single well placed hit using a suitably powerful weapon will at the very least create an environment that precludes your opponents ability to follow suit. I've never seen a man take a shot to the forehead and do anything but fall forward. Not backwards as theatrical presentations portray, forward. It's the way bipeds are designed. Something the salesmen wouldn't know, just as there are many, many other things they also don't know.
Back when smarter men were trying to teach me how to kill and not be killed, I like most stupid kids, paid as much attention to the scuttlebutt as the real deal. Don't be fooled by what the "experts" who've never dirtied their own hands think. I harp on certain things because they are important in your survival. My job isn't to sell you anything just to report back on what works and what doesn't work.
Firearm training is a strange endeavor. Who among us, when striving to learn how to drive a race car, would listen to someone who'd never driven a race car. To take plumbing lessons from someone who'd never before used a wrench. To skydive with someone who'd never even been up in an airplane.
But a lot of us jump at the opportunity to "learn" from the seemingly endless line of experts who've never fired a weapon in anger. We all do a lot of dumb things when young, and some won't admit they've spent time, money, and effort on ridiculous things. One of the reasons letting go of outright silly propositions can be difficult.
As always, do as you wish. I just don't want your sorry ass dead because funerals mean I've got to squeeze myself into the single black suit I own and that sucks.
When ur weapon is easier to reach and use in a life threatening situation, the easier it would be to survive the encounter. I am for almost anything that would increase my odds in a combat or confrontational situation. Open carry is just simply smarter.
It is those who fear guns and don't have a real self defense weapon of there own that spread the rumor that open carry is bad (home security systems are just an early warning system, it doesn't stop criminals). These people fear that others are taking the own safety seriously and prefer the out of sight out of mind concealed carry.
Here a little question; if u were afraid of guns would u rather have the guns in the open were u can see who is packing heat or concealed were anyone around u could have one. I on occasion wear some body fitting clothes and still conceal perfectly; I would think these people would be paranoid by now if only they actually knew the number of legal concealed carry owners out there. But thatz the thing, they don't know so they would always be afraid. I am not trying to educate them (even though they need it), what they do with there life is up to them. But when it comes to my life and those I care about then itz time to get serious coz itz now personal.
Open carry just makes more sense and I am sure deep, deep down the the anti-gun peeps know it too but just wont admit it.
Agree, B.D.
I just read on "opencarry.org" that a Rep Charles Lavender might actually sponsor the Texas open carry bill:
"Rep Charles Lavender will sponsor Texas open carry bill
I just received an email reply from my newly elected state representative, Charles Lavender, saying he will sponsor an open carry bill in the upcoming session.
Details to come as they're available."
Now I don't know how true this and I tried to look up the guy and couldn't really find anything on him. If anyone has more info on this do share.
Actually I found out that the Reps name is "George Lavender" and not Charles. He has an uncompleted website: http://www.georgelavender.com/
But his email is listed there in case u wanted to write him like I did.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for the guy, B.D.
Your welcome Fits...
Post a Comment