Texas legislature is hearing HB910 (Licensed Open Carry)

[LSP972]

^^^^ I thought GVT was asking a different question...

Re-reading it, I think you're correct.

And we're already there…


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[Joe in PNG]

What To Do About Derp has been a dilemma in government for aeons.
Q:If you give people freedom, won't they derp?
A:Even if you take away freedom, and lay down the most strict restrictions, derp's gonna derp. You can't stop derp.

[Tamara]

Yes, it's been a disaster in Vermont. And Arizona. And Alaska. And Wyoming. And Arkansas. And I sure won't want to be in Kansas come July 2nd...

If Constitutional Carry ever passes in Texas, it, too, will become a Hobbesian wasteland; quickdraw duels will be fought over the last squirt of cherry syrup in the 1,000-flavor Coke machine in Chipotle.

This. Can we leave the "zomg there'll be blood in the streets if State A passes this law that States B, C, D, E, and F have had for years with no ill effects!" to the Brady Bunch?

[Tamara]

But if there is ANYONE reading this who hasn't run across some hydrocephalic idiot with a firearm that made them nervous (in a non-criminal offense setting) then I submit you need to get out more often.

Of course, there isn't much we can do about it, and I certainly don't have any viable solutions to offer. Yes, I realize there are a few places that OC is a normal, accepted practice that doesn't upset the sheeple. But that does not include most of these United States. All I'm saying is, these fools have the capability of wrecking our hard-won CCW priviledges.

Does it happen in Vermont, where there are hardly any gun laws to break in the first place?

The Phoenix metro area is one of the most populous in the US. Are fools wrecking our hard-won CCW privileges there?


Ironically, we argue all the time that gun bans only block the law-abiding; crooks are gonna crook and get their guns any which way. And yet some of us are arguing that a licensing requirement is going to keep idjits from idjiting?

[LOKNLOD]

I realize some of you are trying to lighten up a rather dark topic, but this runs deeper than I suspect some of you are giving it credit for…

IOW, these OC morons are REALLY hurting the "constitutional carry" concept in many places. I say this both from a normal citizen (which I am now) standpoint, and an LE (which I was for almost 30 years) standpoint. Which means I think Gardone's point is valid… some of these felony stoopids don't "deserve" their constitutional rights.

That said…DO NOT make the mistake of assuming I harbor anti-2A sentiments. Don't even go there. But if there is ANYONE reading this who hasn't run across some hydrocephalic idiot with a firearm that made them nervous (in a non-criminal offense setting) then I submit you need to get out more often.

Of course, there isn't much we can do about it, and I certainly don't have any viable solutions to offer. Yes, I realize there are a few places that OC is a normal, accepted practice that doesn't upset the sheeple. But that does not include most of these United States. All I'm saying is, these fools have the capability of wrecking our hard-won CCW priviledges. And please… spare me the argument that they are rights, not priviledges. I agree; but there are a lot more folks, many in positions of power and influence, who do not.

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Joking aside, I don't disagree with your assessment of the situation either, and it's really the frustrating part of this whole open carry argument. I vehemently believe we all ought to have the ability to walk around with guns out, in principle...but in practice, it's a friggin' stupid idea and just doesn't seem to work for everyone everywhere. The world is the way is, and it's filled with people...and people, no matter how wonderful on an individual basis, on the whole...they suck. They will, collectively, sh*t on anything good they're given.

Still, to paraphrase a Mencken quote, superior men can only be guaranteed freedom if it is given to all men. The stupids may not deserve their rights but it is our duty as defenders of individual liberty to ensure they have them until they are removed by a due process of law, because for us to have our rights, they must, too. If I must err, I hope to do so on the side of liberty and deal with those consequences, rather than the alternative.

[GardoneVT]

This. Can we leave the "zomg there'll be blood in the streets if State A passes this law that States B, C, D, E, and F have had for years with no ill effects!" to the Brady Bunch?

The consequence which concerns me is not the 'blood in the streets' strawman.

It is the mass reaction of voters who read on Monday "Permitless Carry Passed!" and on Tuesday during lunch see these guys ;



If we "gunsters" are going 'ohmigerd', what does Average Joe and Jane make of it ?We may be willing to tolerate foolishness in the name of principle.The Average Man and Woman are not, and they outnumber us at the polls. Unlike shootouts over traffic jams, having privlidged carry and overall gun regulations tightened because of one too many derp displays IS a valid threat.

[Jac]

?We may be willing to tolerate foolishness in the name of principle.The Average Man and Woman are not, and they outnumber us at the polls. Unlike shootouts over traffic jams, having privlidged carry and overall gun regulations tightened because of one too many derp displays IS a valid threat.

But it's not... I don't think it's a coincidence that the recent increase in derpitude has mirrored a more-or-less nationwide liberalization of gun laws. More people know about and like guns. Period. Yes, that means there will be more idiot-children with a Tapco fetish; and they make the news, because that's what the news is. But for every two of them doing a Rednecks Gone Wild photo shoot in Chipotle, there are a hundred who are walking around with a pistol on, minding their own business. And finally caring about whether the State wants to deprive them of their right to carry it.

Things are getting better. And the easiest way for them to get worse again is for people to start talking about slowing down because some jackasses have bad manners.

[LSP972]

Does it happen in Vermont, where there are hardly any gun laws to break in the first place?

The Phoenix metro area is one of the most populous in the US. Are fools wrecking our hard-won CCW privileges there?


Ironically, we argue all the time that gun bans only block the law-abiding; crooks are gonna crook and get their guns any which way. And yet some of us are arguing that a licensing requirement is going to keep idjits from idjiting?

I guess you missed the part about "the few places where OC is normal/accepted" in my post.

And I said zero about licensing or banning anything; I was mainly expressing dismay over how these "idjits" cannot fathom the damage they are doing.

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[LSP972]

... because for us to have our rights, they must, too. If I must err, I hope to do so on the side of liberty and deal with those consequences, rather than the alternative.

Indeed. No argument there.

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[LSP972]

The consequence which concerns me is not the 'blood in the streets' strawman.

It is the mass reaction of voters who read on Monday "Permitless Carry Passed!" and on Tuesday during lunch see these guys ;



If we "gunsters" are going 'ohmigerd', what does Average Joe and Jane make of it ?We may be willing to tolerate foolishness in the name of principle.The Average Man and Woman are not, and they outnumber us at the polls. Unlike shootouts over traffic jams, having privlidged carry and overall gun regulations tightened because of one too many derp displays IS a valid threat.

Exactly my point. Tards like these are going to bring the whole house down around our ears.

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