What's Up With Open-Carry Now?

As recently as the summer of 2014, chances for passing open-carry in the 2015 Texas Legislative Session appeared dim, very very dim.  (See "Is Open-Carry Dead in 2015?") A small number of radical open-carry supporters had been carrying long guns into stores, restaurants, along highways and some even appeared to bait police officers into confrontations when those officers responded to calls by concerned citizens. Whether accurately or otherwise, reports of these “demonstrations” were broadcast on TV stations all over the State and this prompted a mass of calls to the staff of Texas Senators and House Members demanding that Texans not be allowed to carry firearms openly. The prospects for passing open-carry were bleak and a few examples of what was going on will reveal why.

 After weeks of having open-carry demonstrators walking into their stores, Target, Jack-In-The-Box, Chipotle, Sonic Chili’s all announced a “no guns” policy. Thankfully, they did not outright ban all firearms, but the negative message was loud and clear. In July, Open-Carry Texas, with C.J. Grisham its founder and President, made an ill-advised visit to Houston for the stated purpose of organizing a demonstration in predominantly black Fifth Ward with OCT members carrying rifles and shotguns. Even two minutes of research would have revealed that this was a terrible idea! OCT, Grisham and others were met by radical, rabble-rousing, race baiting Quanell X along with television reporters and camera crews. The outcome was predictable; OCT and Grisham were made to look like fools who, as they were leaving, tried to imitate Gen. Douglas McArthur by claiming “we will return" and the demonstration in Fifth Ward will go forward. Unlike Gen. McArthur, neither OCT nor Grisham returned to demonstrate in Houston’s Fifth Ward. Video of this confrontation was shown multiple times on all three network affiliate stations. It was an unmitigated public relations disaster.

TV reporters were having a field day presenting such antics to their viewing audiences and giving the impression that everyone who wanted to see open-carry pass were like those they saw on TV. All of the news coverage was grossly unfair to the millions of Texas gun owners who do not engage in in-your-face tactics, especially the responsible ones who want to see open-carry pass. But the damage was done and the NRA and TSRA had to resurrect open-carry from the grave before the gravediggers started covering it with dirt.

Both Open-Carry Texas and President Grisham were requested to stop these harmful demonstrations. OCT vowed they would never quit, but over the last six months, very few armed demonstrations have been in the news. Although Grisham at one time stated that the policy of OCT had been changed and that demonstrations would no longer involve the carrying rifles and shotguns, preferring to carry pre-1899 blackpowder handguns instead, the most recent demonstration in San Antonio (Jan. 2015) included the carrying of rifles.

Fast forward six months and things are looking much better, but there are no guarantees in any legislature. Things are looking better because the NRA and TSRA lobbyist have been able to convince the men and women who will vote on open-carry bills in Austin that the irresponsible and counterproductive stunts that made the news and scared many in the public were not representative of the millions of law-abiding Texas gun owners. Even the radical open-carry groups and supporters seemed to tone down their rhetoric and all but stopped doing “demonstrations” with long guns, at least until recently. It has been months since open-carry demonstrators have been shown on TV carrying AR-15’s in Wal-Mart and other stores or in restaurants. If radical open-carry supporters can keep their zeal under control, open-carry can still pass in 2015. Only time will tell and a quote from a FoxNews report is dead on point: “Despite the early momentum, there are no guarantees open carry will pass. Bills to allow concealed handguns on college campus appeared to have widespread support in 2009, 2011 and 2013, but were derailed by objections from universities and law enforcement.” It is noteworthy that the campus-carry bills referenced in the FoxNews report were not hampered with supporters alienating and frightening the public and elected officials as has been the case with open-carry.

It goes without stating that OCT, Grisham and other radical open-carry organizations will hyperventilate when they read this article. They will beat their collective chests and loudly proclaim (probably with profanity) that “the NRA and TSRA hasn’t done anything.” Of course, Texans know the NRA and TSRA have been leading the charge for gun owners for decades and that the great strides in gun owners rights enjoyed by Texans are the results of the efforts of those two organizations. NRA has been working on open-carry since the end of the 2013 Texas Legislative Session doing what it does best and in a way that has proven successful for decades. When you read or hear the OCT rants, remember that OCT and Grisham have proudly aligned themselves with Dudley Brown’s National Association of Gun Rights, both of which have been denounced as habitually publishing false information by GOA, SAF, NRA, TSRA and Students for Concealed Carry, just to name a few.

If you want to see open-carry pass, then continue to approach the issue in a statesmanlike manner and be ready to answer calls-to-action when they are issued.