So Perry's not that great on guns...

[Perd Hapley]

He also commented on the other controversy consuming debate in Austin: the open carrying of handguns.

Perry said he was “not necessarily all that fond of this open carry concept,” adding that those who carry guns ought to be “appropriately backgrounded, appropriately vetted, appropriately trained.”

“We license people to drive on our highways,” he said. “We give them that privilege. The same is true with our concealed handguns.”

But also, he said he prefers concealed handguns for “a more practical reason.”

“I don’t want the bad guys to know if I’m carrying," he said. "I don’t want to be the first person shot if something’s going down.”

http://www.texastribune.org/2015/02/05/perry-talks-cruz-guns-and-killing-isis/


But, hey, at least he remembered all three reasons why he's against open carry.

[Brad Johnson]

IIRC that was a point of (privately discussed) contention between Perry and then-AG Abbott. No worries now, though. Abbott has openly endorsed OC, stating very plainly that he will sign an OC bill if one ever hits his desk.

Brad

[Hawkmoon]

He also commented on the other controversy consuming debate in Austin: the open carrying of handguns.

Perry said he was “not necessarily all that fond of this open carry concept,” adding that those who carry guns ought to be “appropriately backgrounded, appropriately vetted, appropriately trained.”

“We license people to drive on our highways,” he said. “We give them that privilege. The same is true with our concealed handguns.”

Where does the Second Amendment say anything about background checks, vetting, or training? And when did the Bill of Rights get changed to the Bill of Privileges?

[Hutch]

Seems like every day, I'm forced to add to the list of politicians that can just kiss my fat, hair ass.

[Andiron]

While I disagree,  the OCT retards have made his position easy to defend.

If you're going to carry a rifle to make a political point, it needs to remain slung.  Brandishing the thing about doesn't do anything to help you side.

[Hawkmoon]

While I disagree,  the OCT retards have made his position easy to defend.

If you're going to carry a rifle to make a political point, it needs to remain slung.  Brandishing the thing about doesn't do anything to help you side.

So enact a law that makes brandishing a misdemeanor for the first offense, and a felony after that. Define "brandishing" well enough to ensure that it doesn't mean open carry, or the wind whipping your cover garment open momentarily, or any of several other, innocent acts that various jurisdictions have called "brandishing" over the years. Brandishing is openly waving a [___] around in an intentionally threatening manner. There's no need or reason to prohibit or severely restrict large numbers of people from engaging in what is arguably a constitutional right when laws can be crafted to prohibit the crazies without affecting the normal people.

[Cliffh]

I will now vote for him if it's a choice between him & Hillary - other than that....

[MechAg94]

I believe Rick Perry signed every pro-gun bill that made it to his desk.  The TSRA has rated him pretty high.  

So Perry's not that great on OPEN CARRY...

fixed it.  

To me, this seems like one of those idealogical purity issues in that we run down anyone that isn't 100% perfect and then wonder why there aren't any good candidates. 

[brimic]

Open carry isn't necessarily about open carry, a lot of people in non-open carry states have some serious cognitive dissonance about this, as in "we don't need open carry because open carry is tactically unsound."

Its also 'tactically unsound' to accidentally print or expose a concealed weapon because such an instance may lead to your arrest and or a dangerous high tension encounter with the police.

I've never considered lawful open carry in my state for the purpose of open carry- I've always considered it as not having to worry if the bottom of my holster gets exposed while picking an item off the bottom shelf at Walmart kind of purpose.

It also smacks of the kind of hypocrisy I see at 'conservation clubs' where black rifles or even shotguns with pistol grips are looked down upon because they aren't the type of shotgun used for hunting doves.

[Scout26]

I see Open Carry (of a pistol on your hip in a holster, not some *expletive deleted*bag neckbeard with his AK at the the low ready in Starbucks) in three ways:


1.  Deterrent effect.   Most crimes aren't committed by "Criminal Masterminds*", but hood rats, meth-heads and other folks from the lower end of the bell curve.  They are crimes of opportunity, not long-range strategic planning.   They just might see you and re-think their "plan".

2.  Normalizes guns.   Folks that watch me chase my blind father through Wal-mart and Meijer get to see an ordinary person with a firearm.  I smile a lot, am polite and friendly to everyone.   A positive ambassador (but not a Companion) of the firearms culture.

3.  I don't buy into the "They shoot you first." theory of "lost tactical advantage".  Trying to rip away the cover garment and having it not get snagged takes real time and practice.   Not to mention that said hood-rat/methhead will shoot you as your trying to hold your cover garment open.   (yeah we all do dry fire drills, but trying to get your Gat from underneath your Hawaiian print shirt without it getting caught.  Ugh.)




*- They prefer to smuggle bobble-headed Geisha dolls.  Because people love those.   

[Perd Hapley]

I see Open Carry (of a pistol on your hip in a holster, not some *expletive deleted*bag neckbeard with his AK at the the low ready in Starbucks) in three ways:


1.  Deterrent effect.   Most crimes aren't committed by "Criminal Masterminds*", but hood rats, meth-heads and other folks from the lower end of the bell curve.  They are crimes of opportunity, not long-range strategic planning.   They just might see you and re-think their "plan".

2.  Normalizes guns.   Folks that watch me chase my blind father through Wal-mart and Meijer get to see an ordinary person with a firearm.  I smile a lot, am polite and friendly to everyone.   A positive ambassador (but not a Companion) of the firearms culture.

3.  I don't buy into the "They shoot you first." theory of "lost tactical advantage".  Trying to rip away the cover garment and having it not get snagged takes real time and practice.   Not to mention that said hood-rat/methhead will shoot you as your trying to hold your cover garment open.   (yeah we all do dry fire drills, but trying to get your Gat from underneath your Hawaiian print shirt without it getting caught.  Ugh.)

4. Comfort and versatility.

5. No one should have to justify it. Open carry is really just carry. As in, that's how one carries a gun. Not that there's really a default way to carry a sidearm. Pocket carry, and other discreet methods, are also traditional, and just as valid. The myths we endure today are that open carry is either offensive, or tactically unsound. But myths they are.

[Cliffh]

I believe Rick Perry signed every pro-gun bill that made it to his desk.  The TSRA has rated him pretty high. 
fixed it. 

To me, this seems like one of those idealogical purity issues in that we run down anyone that isn't 100% perfect and then wonder why there aren't any good candidates. 

The TSRA is *not* open carry friendly.  A few years back I was part of an organization backing open carry.  We checked with TSRA about their stance on it.  They said they were against it 'cause their members were against it, but they also admitted that they never polled their members on the subject.

[Brad Johnson]

The TSRA is *not* open carry friendly.  A few years back I was part of an organization backing open carry.  We checked with TSRA about their stance on it.  They said they were against it 'cause their members were against it, but they also admitted that they never polled their members on the subject.

Maybe not, but if it weren't for them we'd be a lot worse off in many respects. I'll give them a by on one point.

Brad

[Cliffh]

Probably true, but they still don't sit right with me.  The whole "it's gotta be done our way and our members desires don't count" attitude.

[Ben]

4. Comfort and versatility.

5. No one should have to justify it. Open carry is really just carry. As in, that's how one carries a gun. Not that there's really a default way to carry a sidearm. Pocket carry, and other discreet methods, are also traditional, and just as valid. The myths we endure today are that open carry is either offensive, or tactically unsound. But myths they are.

That plus everything Scout listed. The most comfortable way I've carried is with a tucked in t-shirt, OWB holster, and a button down shirt left open over that. When the outer shirt is left open, there's a lot of jurisdictions where you could get popped for "brandishing" or whatever every time the wind blows.

[MechAg94]

The TSRA is *not* open carry friendly.  A few years back I was part of an organization backing open carry.  We checked with TSRA about their stance on it.  They said they were against it 'cause their members were against it, but they also admitted that they never polled their members on the subject.

I have been on the TSRA's mailing list for years.  I haven't read them close lately, but they are tracking the open carry bills and reporting on them in their emails.  I wouldn't say they are against it all. 

I think part of what happened is several years ago when open carry became an issue, it started through an online petition that got a lot of support.  The issue wasn't even on TSRA's radar.  I think they came around on it after initial resenting the effort to go around them. 

If the TSRA is against anything, it is the loose cannon types that are just ticking off legislators and giving fodder to the anti-gun propagandists.

[MechAg94]

That plus everything Scout listed. The most comfortable way I've carried is with a tucked in t-shirt, OWB holster, and a button down shirt left open over that. When the outer shirt is left open, there's a lot of jurisdictions where you could get popped for "brandishing" or whatever every time the wind blows.

I doubt I would fully open carry, but I think there are carry options that are not fully concealed, but still not greatly noticeable.  That and I generally always for removing more impediments to owning and using guns. 

[MechAg94]

One last thought is that the slow path does work when it comes to changing gun laws and changing the public's attitude about guns.  It doens't have to be all or nothing.  If you had brought up open carry in 1993 before concealed carry passed, the automatic reaction from legislators, the media, and the public in general would have been a resounding NO.  In a little over 20 years, we have had concealed carry passed and improved.  We have had the traveling restrictions essentially removed.  There have been a number of other improvements.  This all in a state where the legislature meets only 6 months every 2 years. 

Open carry has IMO a lot more support now than it would have 20 years ago and more than even 5 or 7 years ago.  Any sort of open carry passed will eventually open the door for it regardless if it is licensed right now or not.  I look at the general reaction or lack of a reaction when the traveling restrictions were removed and unlicensed carry in your car was fully legalized. 

To me, it is one of those issues that has come around and gained support in part because of previous ground work that has removed opposition/fear of an armed public. 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

That good will can be squandered real quick as well


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Jamisjockey]

There is a lot of cognitive dissonance in Texas on guns. 
Texas is full of shooters, hunters, Second Amendment supporters.  People who have guns, lots of them, not just hunting rifles.  "Assault rifles", handguns, shotguns.  All of it.
People who scream from the top of the church steeple that Obama is going to take all the guns and about how they would never allow that.
Yet many of them will from the other side of their mouth support background checks, support expensive CHL requirements, and talk smack about open carry. 

Many will blame the open carry lobby.  I blame those on our side who compromise gun rights. 

[Andiron]

Many will blame the open carry lobby.  I blame those on our side who compromise gun rights. 

Criticism is not compromise.

http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/2015/02/tarrant-county-gun-rights-leader-says-failure-to-pass-open-carry-law-punishable-by-death.html/

Those tards are doing more to harm the OC movement than any of the "mom's demand stuff".   Wish I could find the pic of the guy holding an m4gery at low ready in the capitol.  Even if legal,  it's stupid.

[MechAg94]

I agree with that. 

The idea that anyone who is NOT rabidly for open carry is somehow anti-gun is what gets under my skin a bit.  All or nothing is not a good strategy when dealing with politics. 

[Balog]

Open Carry Texas are the prototypical Fatty and Snowboots morons who got places like Chipotle to ban OC. Open Carry Tarrant County is so bad even OCT has formally disavowed them.

[Scout26]

Just imagine that a little over 20 years ago Clinton signed the AWB and we thought for sure that the next step was to be a total ban or the next best thing.

And here we are today discussing how to get more Open Carry laws passed despite the basement dwelling neck-beards being the greatest gift that Everytown Mayors for Brady could ask for. 

[Cliffh]

I have been on the TSRA's mailing list for years.  I haven't read them close lately, but they are tracking the open carry bills and reporting on them in their emails.  I wouldn't say they are against it all. 

I think part of what happened is several years ago when open carry became an issue, it started through an online petition that got a lot of support.  The issue wasn't even on TSRA's radar. I think they came around on it after initial resenting the effort to go around them. 

If the TSRA is against anything, it is the loose cannon types that are just ticking off legislators and giving fodder to the anti-gun propagandists.

As I said, it has been a few years since I had contact with them regarding OC.  Hopefully they have changed their stance on it. 

The *idiots* in OCTC tactics are asinine.  They have gotten OC talked about, and not in a good way.  Steady & relentless is usually a good path to follow for change, pushing like they have been has the probability of forcing others to take a stand they might not have otherwise.

There is a lot of cognitive dissonance in Texas on guns. 
Texas is full of shooters, hunters, Second Amendment supporters.  People who have guns, lots of them, not just hunting rifles.  "Assault rifles", handguns, shotguns.  All of it.
People who scream from the top of the church steeple that Obama is going to take all the guns and about how they would never allow that.
Yet many of them will from the other side of their mouth support background checks, support expensive CHL requirements, and talk smack about open carry. 

Many will blame the open carry lobby.  I blame those on our side who compromise gun rights. 

That's all so true, unfortunately.  I'm still puzzled as to why it's that way here.

And getting a CHL here can be expensive, especially if there are multiple folks in the household getting it at the same time.  When we first got ours, it was close to $600 for two; $125 each for the class, $125 each for the CHL, a total of over 100 miles driven (classes, retaking fingerprints twice, etc.) and other misc. expenses.  That can put a strain on lower income/retired budgets.