A group of Texas gun owners is planning an aggressive lobby campaign in hopes of passing an “open carry” law in Texas.
Under current Texas law, individuals may carry a concealed weapon–with a permit–but carrying a gun in the open is against state law.
From the DMN:
Saying Texas firearm laws are overly restrictive, a group of gun advocates is lobbying state lawmakers to permit wearing handguns in plain view.
With the legislative session scheduled to begin in January, supporters of “open-carry laws” have placed ads on billboards in Houston and San Antonio and on taxis in Austin.
The Texas campaign is expected to intensify Tuesday with a radio message in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. The ad says, “We don’t hide our colors, do we?” and encourages Texans to sign an online petition asking lawmakers to make Texas a place where people can openly wear their guns. More than 28,000 people have signed it so far.
“We are targeting Texas,” said Mike Stollenwerk, co-founder of www.opencarry.org, in a story Sunday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram . “Get ready for a showdown in Austin come January.”
Stollenwerk said Texas is one of the nation’s most pro-gun states and promised an “awakening” when “Texans realize how restrictive their rights are.”
Texas is one of six states – along with New York, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina – in which handguns can’t be worn in plain view. The other 44 states, in the parlance of gun advocates, are known as “open-carry” states.
I doubt this legislation will pass this session. Typically, legislation proposing such drastic changes takes several sessions to gain significant interest.
December 1, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Having recently returned home to Texas after 14 years in Minnesota, I was pretty dismayed by Texas’ CHL laws. Minnesota Carry laws are VERY well written, with the gun owner in mind. While open carry is a matter of choice in MN, most people don’t. Either way, it’s legal IF one has the required permit.
Here’s the quick and dirty of the law: http://www.madfi.org/post/624.714-MADFI.pdf
December 3, 2008 at 9:09 am
[...] Shinder http://www.debshinder.com/Open%20the%20Carry%20Laws.htm • Found on Windows Live Gun Owners Want Open Carry Law In Texas | Capitol Annex Dec 1, 2008 … A group of Texas gun owners is planning an aggressive lobby campaign in hopes of [...]
May 3, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Why is so hard for people to understand that a legal CHL in Texas can carry a gun, so why cant the same Licensed CHL carry openly if they wish to do so?
I see nothing dangerous or hard about it..Give us the right to chose concealed carry or open on the same licenses! Nothing would change except were we holster our guns!
March 12, 2010 at 1:07 pm
[...] as someone who thinks we criminalize way too much stuff in Texas, I would support this effort. Vince and Hal have more. Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 02, 2008 to The great state of Texas [...]
August 7, 2010 at 3:42 pm
I think the open carry law needs to be passed in Texas without license because, it is are god given right to protect oneself. If you have to pay for this right it is now a government given right and if that’s true the 2nd amendment doesn’t mean squat. I think that all the laws on buying and selling firearms are enough to control who has these rights to carry openly. If we do not fight for are rights who will. I don’t think that are elected government will fight for us especially in these times of oppression