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Story brings up 2 new objections to open carry.
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http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=26536
Get your gun: Group seeks signatures for 'open-carry' law Posted on: Sunday, July 13, 2008, 6:53 AM
Click image(s) to enlarge
Herald/JOHN A. BOWERSMITH
Frank Leslie holds a timer while Steve Crago fires his pistol at targets during an International Defensive Pistol Association competition on July 5 at Lloyd’s Gun Range in Kempner.
[line]
Herald/JOHN A. BOWERSMITH
Frank Leslie explains the next stage in an International Defensive Pistol Association shooting competition at Lloyd’s Gun Range in Kempner.
By Mason W. Canales
Killeen Daily Herald
An online petition for residents to carry handguns in plain sight in Texas had obtained more than 20,000 signatures last week. The petition will be submitted to Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature sometime in the future.
According to the petition, Texas is one of only six states in the U.S. that ban the use of publicly displayed handguns – also known as "open-carry" handguns.
Ten states – Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont and Wyoming – allow residents to openly carry a handgun without a license, the petition stated, including those states as one reason why Texas should adopt an open-carry law.
Other reasons listed in the petition include:
It is a constitutional right to bear arms.
People who are going to commit crimes with guns don't abide by the law anyway.
People have the right to defend themselves against death and bodily injury.
It is too hot in Texas to wear a jacket that would conceal a handgun.
A concealed handgun cannot be drawn quickly enough to save a person's life.
Criminals won't carry guns openly anyway because they don't want to draw attention to themselves.
Crime will be deterred by openly carrying handguns.
Some Central Texans are in support of the petition, including Steve Garza of Pflugerville, who commutes to Killeen every day.
"I would prefer that (the law) be open carry ?," Garza said. "Open carry and concealed is a simple matter of choice."
Garza is waiting to get his concealed handgun license from the state, he said.
He believes that carrying a gun in plain view will deter criminals from attacking him or others around him because of his displayed firearm, Garza said.
But others, such as David Cheadle, a Guns Galore employee, believe otherwise.
"It takes away your advantage," Cheadle said.
A person who is determined to rob a store will see you as a threat and attack you first, Cheadle said.
Cheadle's view is shared by Lloyd Leppo, a concealed handgun instructor and owner of a gun range in Kempner.
"If a bad guy walks into an open room, I would like him not to know if there is one person, no persons or 100 persons who have a gun," Leppo said.
Another problem with carrying a gun in the open is that the gun can potentially become a weapon used by someone else against you, Cheadle said.
"There are so many people that can get to that gun," Leppo said. "How many times do we see stories of an officer getting shot with his own gun?"
While officers have a number of safety measures on their holsters and are trained in self-defense, a lot of people don't take proper precautions, Cheadle said.
A person can walk up behind someone, take the handgun and use it against that person or someone else, Cheadle said.
Another concern that Cheadle and Leppo share is that people will treat their guns like their cars.
Open carry will give people a reason to "dress up" their guns. Cheadle predicts that people will start carrying guns with diamonds on them and guns in all sorts of fancy colors.
"I know how big and gaudy the belt buckles are in this state; I can only imagine what the guns are going to be like," Leppo said.
This creates a problem because that handgun is more than likely to be shown off and possibly passed out of its holster, which increases the potential for accidental discharge, Cheadle said.
People like Edward Isenberg, owner of handgun distributor Just Glocks, aren't sure which type of law they'd prefer.
"I haven't seen the petition, but I would not for sure sign it," Isenberg said Tuesday.
For Isenberg, carrying a handgun and having it displayed openly means making a common sense judgment.
If you were hunting and had your sidearm in a holster and stopped for a sandwich, you may not take if off before eating, Isenberg said. In contrast, why would someone need to carry a handgun into a bank? he asked.
"People have really good intentions, but it all lies in how they carry," Isenberg said.
Contact Mason W. Canales at mcanales@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7554.
Story brings up 2 new objections to open carry.
----
http://www.kdhnews.com/news/story.aspx?s=26536
Get your gun: Group seeks signatures for 'open-carry' law Posted on: Sunday, July 13, 2008, 6:53 AM
Click image(s) to enlarge
Herald/JOHN A. BOWERSMITH
Frank Leslie holds a timer while Steve Crago fires his pistol at targets during an International Defensive Pistol Association competition on July 5 at Lloyd’s Gun Range in Kempner.
[line]
Herald/JOHN A. BOWERSMITH
Frank Leslie explains the next stage in an International Defensive Pistol Association shooting competition at Lloyd’s Gun Range in Kempner.
By Mason W. Canales
Killeen Daily Herald
An online petition for residents to carry handguns in plain sight in Texas had obtained more than 20,000 signatures last week. The petition will be submitted to Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature sometime in the future.
According to the petition, Texas is one of only six states in the U.S. that ban the use of publicly displayed handguns – also known as "open-carry" handguns.
Ten states – Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Virginia, Vermont and Wyoming – allow residents to openly carry a handgun without a license, the petition stated, including those states as one reason why Texas should adopt an open-carry law.
Other reasons listed in the petition include:
It is a constitutional right to bear arms.
People who are going to commit crimes with guns don't abide by the law anyway.
People have the right to defend themselves against death and bodily injury.
It is too hot in Texas to wear a jacket that would conceal a handgun.
A concealed handgun cannot be drawn quickly enough to save a person's life.
Criminals won't carry guns openly anyway because they don't want to draw attention to themselves.
Crime will be deterred by openly carrying handguns.
Some Central Texans are in support of the petition, including Steve Garza of Pflugerville, who commutes to Killeen every day.
"I would prefer that (the law) be open carry ?," Garza said. "Open carry and concealed is a simple matter of choice."
Garza is waiting to get his concealed handgun license from the state, he said.
He believes that carrying a gun in plain view will deter criminals from attacking him or others around him because of his displayed firearm, Garza said.
But others, such as David Cheadle, a Guns Galore employee, believe otherwise.
"It takes away your advantage," Cheadle said.
A person who is determined to rob a store will see you as a threat and attack you first, Cheadle said.
Cheadle's view is shared by Lloyd Leppo, a concealed handgun instructor and owner of a gun range in Kempner.
"If a bad guy walks into an open room, I would like him not to know if there is one person, no persons or 100 persons who have a gun," Leppo said.
Another problem with carrying a gun in the open is that the gun can potentially become a weapon used by someone else against you, Cheadle said.
"There are so many people that can get to that gun," Leppo said. "How many times do we see stories of an officer getting shot with his own gun?"
While officers have a number of safety measures on their holsters and are trained in self-defense, a lot of people don't take proper precautions, Cheadle said.
A person can walk up behind someone, take the handgun and use it against that person or someone else, Cheadle said.
Another concern that Cheadle and Leppo share is that people will treat their guns like their cars.
Open carry will give people a reason to "dress up" their guns. Cheadle predicts that people will start carrying guns with diamonds on them and guns in all sorts of fancy colors.
"I know how big and gaudy the belt buckles are in this state; I can only imagine what the guns are going to be like," Leppo said.
This creates a problem because that handgun is more than likely to be shown off and possibly passed out of its holster, which increases the potential for accidental discharge, Cheadle said.
People like Edward Isenberg, owner of handgun distributor Just Glocks, aren't sure which type of law they'd prefer.
"I haven't seen the petition, but I would not for sure sign it," Isenberg said Tuesday.
For Isenberg, carrying a handgun and having it displayed openly means making a common sense judgment.
If you were hunting and had your sidearm in a holster and stopped for a sandwich, you may not take if off before eating, Isenberg said. In contrast, why would someone need to carry a handgun into a bank? he asked.
"People have really good intentions, but it all lies in how they carry," Isenberg said.
Contact Mason W. Canales at mcanales@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7554.