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Open Carry Gun Law Begins In Texas
On January 1st, the State of Texas doubled-down on its reputation as the “Wild, Wild West,” by reviving an old law to allow anybody to open carry a revolver or semi-automatic handgun practically anywhere at anytime.
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Yes, you read correctly — as of January 1st, licensed Texans are no longer forced to conceal their guns while in public. From this day forth it’ll be a veritable free-for-all! Now, when you’re standing in line at a grocery store or movie theater in Texas, you won’t know if the person behind you holding a gun is a robber, a killer, or just an ordinary citizen flexing their new right to pack a piece. Open carry is legal.
According to the new open carry law, which Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed at a gun range last June, licensed Texans are now allowed to openly carry a firearm just about anywhere they want. The only places not allowed are federal buildings, courthouses, polling places, amusement parks, worship centers, sporting events, jails, and bars.
The new law has members of OCT (Open Carry Texas), the National Rifle Association and the Republican Party jumping for joy. However, the thought of seeing armed citizens walking down the sidewalk, driving in their cars, eating at restaurants or entering a bank has some Texans — including police — on edge.
In an attempt to calm concerns and avoid chaos, local officials started prepping citizens, 911 operators, and law enforcement agents late last year on the new law. For example, the city of Dallas published a Frequently Asked Questions guide to address concerns such as “Where am I prohibited from carrying a handgun?” and “Can my openly carried handgun be loaded?” [It can.] The city also released a video urging its non-gun toting residents to be “tolerant toward Texans openly carrying revolvers and semi-automatics” in the New Year. Hmmm…
“While we understand that you may feel alarmed, or even scared when encountering a person who’s openly carrying a handgun, concerned citizens are asked to familiarize themselves with the basics of the new law so as to avoid flooding 911 lines with reports of every person in Texas who looks ready for a shootout come January 1,” a city spokeswoman explained in the video. “Only call 911 if you encounter a person who is in violation of the law,” the spokeswoman continued.
However, the spokeswoman encouraged citizens to be on the look out for 911-worthy violations, including anyone appearing intoxicated while carrying a gun, or “obviously committing a crime or acting in a reckless or suspicious manner.” Well, that should make it easy… said no one ever!
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In Houston, a number of concerned restaurant owners are planning to take advantage of a part of the Texas Penal Code that says private businesses can prohibit patrons from openly carrying guns by posting a sign in plain view that says, “contrasting colors with block letters at least one inch in height:”
“Pursuant to Section 30.07, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with an openly carried handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a handgun that is carried openly”
In fact, a number of security retailers are already stocked with pre-made signs that meet the penal code’s requirements.
Although Dallas Police Deputy Chief Jeff Cotner said he expects to see mostly law-abiding citizens openly carrying in 2016, Texas law enforcement officials are among the new law’s biggest opponents. Earlier last year, the Texas Police Chiefs Association sent a survey to more than 800 police chiefs from across the state. Of the 200 or so who responded, nearly 75% said they were opposed to open carry. “It absolutely allows criminals to carry a gun with impunity,” said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo.
Naturally, the police will be more confused than ever on who’s utilizing the open carry law legally, or just out carrying a gun in preparation to commit a crime. However, the new law has also raised concerns of increased racial profiling.
“What’s going to happen is more interaction between police and black and brown and poor people because of lawful activity,” Rep. Harold Dutton, an African-American Democrat from Houston, said.
Interestingly, colleges and universities are among the places where open carry is prohibited under the new law — but not for long. In addition to the open carry law, Governor Abbott also signed legislation permitting concealed carry on campus. The so-called “Campus Carry” law will go into effect on August 1, 2016, which happens to be the 50th anniversary of Charles Whitman’s shooting rampage at the University of Texas at Austin, which killed 16 people and injured 31 others in 1966. Understandably, the campus version of the law has received criticism from students and professors at UT-Austin and other schools throughout the state, sparking petitions to create gun-free zones in classrooms and efforts to repeal the legislation altogether.
At least in Texas, the NRA and the Republican Party has won. Open carry of guns is officially the law, which now gives ordinary citizens permission to take the law into their own hands and engage in a shoot out nearly anywhere and at any time. Just imagine a darkened movie theater in Dallas, where a viewer pulls out his gun to silence some loud teenagers, then a shoot-out erupts — all in total darkness. It would be total mayhem.
Open carry. Yeah, great idea, Texas!
This is so scary to me (and I don't scare that easily).
For all the reasons mentioned in DJ's post..and more…I see nothing but an incredibly high risk for all kinds of really BAD isht resulting .from this.
I'm thankful we don't have this in my home state and I pray I never find myself living in a state where it's permitted.
Simply put, guns have never made me feel more safe, I don't care whose carrying it.
(Sidenote) My mate is a Dallas native (born and raised). She resides in the beautiful suburb of Mansfield, Tx and until the passing of this law, she had tried so hard to convince me to relocate there – assuring me that their days of the "Wild Wild West" mentality/culture was over.
She owns a gun. But even she believes that *Open Carry* is insane.