Open Carry ??

Not asking for any opinions on good or bad, beat that to death already.

My question is , to carry a gun "open" do you still have to have a CHL?? Been asked this but not heard the correct answer..

Thanks

There is no legal open carry law as of now that I know of, only CHL. When and if the laws are changed then we will know.
I was speaking of handguns because the reference of a CHL.

In Texas that is.

There is for long guns.

No. Opn carry of long guns in Texas requires no license of any kind.

Not in Texas.
I think Texas needs to catch up with Oklahoma on this. In Oklahoma you can open carry if you have your CHL.
Also, it is lawful for a person who is licensed to carry a handgun under the Oklahoma Self-Defense Act to store it out of view in a locked vehicle when the vehicle is left unattended on school property. (first I said not in Texas but I think maybe it is legal after googling it)

Hate to say it but Oklahoma has kind of been outdoing Texas on gun laws.

TFF caribou has it right You can open carry a rifle. there is no license required for that. The open carry law being pushed here in Texas is for the open carry of handguns.

I'd like to be able to exercise my God-given and "constitutionally protected" right to carry what I please in the manner I please without being arrested or questioned. I doubt I'll be able to do that anytime real soon though. Maybe the legislature will get it right this year. You won't see me holding my breath, though.

I should have clarified, IF, Texas passes open carry, will a CHL even be needed anymore?

I had a Constable who teaches CHL classes ask me this, I think he is worried if no more licensing is required , his beer money business might be over with.

If "open carry" passes, doesn't that take the "concealed" out of CHL?

And since there is no license required to own a handgun, why require one to carry it in open view once "concealed" is no longer a requirement.

Just saying.

You can bet that if open carry passes there will be some kind of license/permit required. It's all about the money. If CHL is replaced by open carry you can bet they will figure out some way to line the State coffers.

There's no such thing as a God-given right to arm yourself.

My bet is they would do it the same as Oklahoma did you must have your CHL to be allowed to Open Carry. But I don't know if Texas will pass this.

There should be no license required at all to carry open or concealed. If you can legally own a gun you can carry a gun.

I see people open carry all the time up here no matter the law. If Texas OKs it you can bet they're be licensing so I guess I'll have to sit out another round....

"SB 17, sponsored by state Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls), removes the requirement that CHLs keep their handguns concealed and gives them the option of carrying them either wholly or partially visible in a belt or shoulder holster"

You're welcome to your own opinion but expressing it does not make it true.

I believe there were two different SBs, but I am not sure whether both are still alive.

Chapter and verse please.

Here is my hiccup with the above statement.

I am an LEO. I'm all for our rights to carry a handgun. I promote and even gently chastise those who I contact who are CHL and are not armed. Should a law be passed and no license is required to carry, what will keep your average felon from strapping his on and going to Walmart? If it is lawful, I can't ask to see a License that proves I don't have a felon in possession of a firearm. My hands are tied. I personally don't like the idea of encountering some one who has had no background check and no training. It is a bad idea.

Secondly let's look at it from an active shooter's point of view. I'm sure he would walk into lubys and mingle, observing all the guys wearing their Sunday piece on their ostrich belts and make dang sure they die first.

Gentlemen I carry every day everywhere. If I'm not in uniform I will never carry my weapon openly. I am always aware of my surrounding and the people who are near me. I don't get comfortable anywhere outside my property. I would suggest to all who are going to carry ask yourself why you do so. Are you protecting you or are you protecting the innocents? What are your plans when the lead starts flying?

That is correct. If the law is passed you would have no probable cause unless that individual did something in violation of the law. No different than stopping a vehicle just to see if the individual has any outstanding traffic violations or warrants. I'm willing to bet that there is allot more felons driving around in vehicles than there are caring guns into Walmart or walking down the street.

I think those are legitimate concerns, but I think some of the answers to the questions can be found by examining the history of open carry in states that have not prohibited it for many years.

Personally, I would not choose to carry on the hip in crowds but I might want to carry in such a manner that my weapon is more easily accessible than current concealment laws allow. When traveling, I'd prefer hip carry for enhanced ease of access, and there are other situations I'd prefer the same.

Oh no doubt. However, right now it is lawful to carry a handgun in your car as long as it is concealed. I don't see handguns in plain sight in cars. I have found a few felons in possession on traffic but I had a legal right to be in that car. If open carry passes with no license requirement, it ends up being a crap shoot on who is legal to possess and who isn't.

I agree with you, but you gotta ditch the cat. BTW, hope personal issues are improving. Still on the list.

This is what is disturbing that we are so behind on this and that there are states that you wouldn't think would ever to it have !

OMG has this topic not been hashed and re-hashed enough. Yes, I appreciate my God given rite to carry however I feel( I carry concealed every day) , but you are not Wyatt Earp, and this isn't Dodge City. The whole point of "Concealed" is to be concealed. Are you seriously going to say that carrying your pistol on your hip at Wal Mart(for whatever reason anyone would ever go into one of those sh!tholz) in broad daylight is a good idea? I know, I know, everyone is too smart or too bada$$s to have their gun plain taken away from them and shot with said gun by a real criminal. For me, I like to know I am going under the radar, and no one can figure out if I am carrying or now. Just causes too many problems and too many hysterical idiots to even contemplate

Once again: refer to the history of open carry where people have been free to do that for years.

I wouldn't open carry to much but I want the option when I'm bowhunting on public ground I can carry my .45 on my hip. If I bend over in WalMart and my shirt comes up or in the wind my gun prints a little I'm still ok. I would still take care to be concealed but I wouldn't have to be as freaked out about making sure no one sees it.

It already is a crap shoot, with the open carrying of rifles. They're walking around just begging for an officer to stop them. At least with them you have a better chance of distinguishing who's legal and who's not. The felons won't have somebody with them to video the damn thing and won't have their antic's posted on every internet forum and youtube.

And it is the ones that say crap like this that don't need to carry in the first place , get off your high horse !

I lived in Virginia for a bit. Its not impossible to get your CHL there but it is much more difficult than Texas. For that reason, I open carried my pistol (at the time a S&&W M&P 9c in blackhawk retention holster). I enjoyed it, much more comfortable than having the pistol rub on your skin.

However, it does draw a ton of attention to yourself which I did not like. Since I moved down to Texas I carry concealed which is nice because no one knows I carry. I wish we lived in a society where people do not get afraid when they see a firearm, unfortunately we don't.

I do enjoy the open carry rifle law though. That way I do not need to put my rifles in cases when going back and forth from my truck. I lived in Maryland for awhile too, there when you travel you have to have the firearm and ammo/mags in different parts of the car. This ment driving with firearms in the back seat and ammo in the truck bed, very stupid law and you could get in big trouble for breaking it.

I don't have many intentions to open carry, however, I would prefer to carry OWB regardless of what shirt im wearing without having to make sure it's one of my "long" shirts so it stays concealed. It's just so much more comfortable.

^^^ And that right there is why I like open carry.

There's no verse in the Bible that states God gives us any right to arm ourselves. When you make statements like that you look ignorant.

Exactly....

Can you point out where there's an epidemic of that happening in AZ?

I agree. We have an irrevocable constitutional right to keep and bear arms. That right is not God given. I'm a Christian and an ardent supporter of the second amendment, and I never cared for that expression either.

I agree with you totally.

If it were true, anytime we prevented a felon or mentally unstable person from owning a gun we'd be going against his will.

Look! Squirrel!!!

I agree with this, personally i'd rather just keep the license requirements in place. whether the training is in depth or not I like the idea that people carrying have been through a course and demonstrated the basic ability to use their firearm.

IF OC passes I highly doubt I ever open carry, I like being discrete BUT it would be nice to use an OWB holster and not be too concerned about my shirt lifting up or a windy day blowing my cover garment.

The only reason I wouldn't mind the OC is to carry OWB but still concealed or at least semi for comfort, or until I lose about 25 whichever comes first.

dumb law... turning yourself into a target

yup same here, just avoid the concern of printing or accidentally displaying the firearm but not flat out open carry.
i'd certainly move to owb and probably carry my 1911 commander

For the 1000th time. Please cite an example of that happening. It might draw attention to yourself from other folks, but I'd bet you'd be hard pressed to find many examples of a shooting occurring and the first victim being an open carrier.

Common sense needs no example

Luke 22:36
He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one."

Luke 11:21 - When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace

Exodus 22:2-3
If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him

I can get more if you like.

Seeing as how what you said is the opposite of common, not sure that applies here.

History and real world experience sometimes give the lie to what is considered "common sense." Refer to the history of open carry where it has not been prohibited. Maybe I should make a tag line out of that.

I'd like to see one!

What's stopping a felon from doing it now?

At the most all that shows is God approves of defending yourself.

Bingo. Can't legislate safety. Thugs are already criminals, and they already have their guns shoved in their waistbands.

Open carry was common practice in West Virginia where I grew up, and in Arizona where I live now. I thought it was ridiculous a state such as Texas didn't allow open carry.

Am I the only one that's noticed the only people proclaiming it's a plan for disaster are the ones that have never done it? Seriously, no one cares nor are there problems with people having their guns yanked off their waist. I've done it in a couple states. Just don't act paranoid and no one else will.

I'm sure there are plenty of felons that are carrying now, but should OC pass with no licensing requirment, many more will feel comfortable carrying because I can't ask to see a license to carry their firearm. At least with the license requirement, I can be assured you have some training and are not a felon.

Good decision making cannot be legislated any more than morality can. Extra laws just make things more complicated.

I see no significant benefit to allowing open carry, and many possible disadvantages. I agree mostly with savage388 that it poses more problems for LEO than it eliminates for CHL holders. Although I do see the benefit of those who say that it just makes it more comfortable to carry without worrying if it's only marginally visible, that just isn't enough benefit to me to allow anyone with no training on firearm usage, legal precedent, etc. to strap any gun they want on their hip in open public. Have you seen the idiots we walk around every day? You really think it's a good idea to openly arm them?

He who would sacrifice liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither.

That can only be taken so far, right? Should everyone be allowed to carry anywhere? Courtrooms, classrooms, those under 21, etc.? Or is it reasonable to find a middle ground between safety and liberty that minimizes risk for the masses while maximizing liberty to those who haven't jeopardized it?

I don't disagree that much with you guys. Definitely not enough to argue fervently against open carry. But if I was given a vote, I'd vote against it. That's all I'm saying. I'm moderately against it.

I would like to be able to carry a slightly larger pistol that's only substantially concealed, and not a smaller pistol since it has to be 100% concealed. That's the big benefit of it to me.