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Press Release: Open Carry Movement Aims to Get the Panhandle into the Fire!

Mike

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[align=center]For Immediate Release[/align]
[align=center]----[/align]
[align=center]December 28, 2008[/align]
[align=center]Open Carry Movement Aims to Get the Panhandle into the Fire![/align]
[align=center]Radio Ads Surge Open Carry Petition Over 50,000 Signatures[/align]
[align=center]"Texas Open Carry Working Group" Secures First of Several Likely Bill Sponsor Pledges from Representative Debbie Riddle (R – Houston)[/align]

[align=left] ----------------

Last week’s open carry radio ad barrage over the Houston Metroplex was enough to make anybody’s holiday, pushing the online petition to decriminalize open carry of handguns in Texas over 50,000 signatures! See http://www.petitiononline.com/texasoc/petition.htm.


Even better, Houston’s own Representative Debbie Riddle, co-author of Texas’ Castle Doctrine law, has told constituents and members of the Texas Open Carry Working Group (led by petition founder and Austin resident Ian McCarthy) that Riddle has drafted and is planning to introduce an open carry bill.

And in more great news, at least two more Representatives and one Senator are rumored to be warning up open carry bills of their own. And from other reliable information leaking out of Austin, apparently the Texas prosecutors and law enforcement lobbies will not oppose these open carry bills provided the bills include a requirement that unconcealed handguns be carried in holsters.[1]

But now OpenCarry.org turns to the great panhandle of Texas to get Amarillo and Lubbock into the fire before the New Year begins. We are counting on the long standing pro-gun panhandle sentiment to seal the deal on open carry reform in Texas.

Starting Monday, December 29[suP]th[/suP] pro-open carry radio spots will rule both the airwaves and Internet streaming on the following stations:

Lubbock: KFYO AM 790; KFMX FM 94.5; KQBR FM 99.5

Amarillo: KATP 102 FM; KIXZ AM 940

Additionally, OpenCarry.org co-founder, and Killeen, TX homeowner Mike Stollenwerk will be interviewed on the following panhandle stations as follows:

Monday, 29 December:

KKCL FM 98 (taped interview) @ approx. 8AM Central

KZII at 8AM Central (live)

KFYO’s Pratt on Texas @ 6:10 PM Central (live)

Tuesday, 30 December, 2008:

KQBR’s Rick & Jane show at 8:35 AM Central

Meanwhile Ian McCarthy and his Texas Open Carry Working Group team (including fluent **Spanish speaker** Raul Rodriguez from San Antonio) stand ready for more interviews and commentary anywhere in Texas.

But in an important administrative note, while OpenCarry.org is proud of its success in helping its Texas members restore their rights, this has not come free, and as Christmas shopping went on, and recession news kept comin’, our contributions to the Texas campaign have fallen behind our radio ad spending schedule at http://www.opencarry.org/thunder.html. If more donations do not come in by January 1st, we will not be able to run our planned ad campaigns in El Paso and the Austin-Waco I-35 corridor.

OpenCarry.org hereby invokes the “NATO doctrine of gun rights” –– and asks for donations from Americans in every state.

The fact that Texas is one of only 6 states[2] to ban open carry is not the point - an infringement on open carry rights in any state, is an infringement on all!

Give now at http://www.opencarry.org/thunder.html.

###
[/align]


[align=left]Media Contacts:
OpenCarry.org co-founders:
John Pierce: John@OpenCarry.org
Mike Stollenwerk: Mike@Opencarry.org

Texas Open Carry Working Group:
Ian McCarthy, Petition Founder and Chair of the Texas Open Carry Working Group, TexasOpenCarry@gmail.com (Austin)
Duane Suddeth, DKSuddeth@gmail.com, Vice-Chair of the Texas Open Carry Working Group, (Dallas-Fort Worth)
Aaron Poffenberger, Legislative Operations Officer, akp@hypernote.com, (Houston)
Ralph Carroll, r-carroll1@ti.com, Day Phone: (Van Zandt County)
Dennis Patterson, DPatterson2095@hotmail.com, (Austin)
Lori Dodson, LoriDodson@gmail.com, (Houston)
Sean Johnson, seanjohnson@att.net, (Dallas-Ft. Worth)
Raul Rodriguez, Spanish Speaking Spokesman, r-rodriguez10@prodigy.net, (San Antonio)


[1]A few states have holster requirements, but most do not. ]Nonetheless, holsters are always a good idea. :cool:


[2] See map at http://www.opencarry.org/opencarry.html.
[/align]
 

Cowboy_Rick

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A Holster is an excellent idea, it is safer without a doubt! Thanks for the good news, its about time!! By the way the count is now at 50,768!
 

cato

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Most states do not have a "holster" requirement - but that is what most people do so I don't see the need for a requirement. As long as a firearm is being peacefully carried andNOT waived about inan angry or threatening way (the classic definition of brandishing - a crime except in justified self-defense) I see no need for state intrusion or extra regulation of the Open Carry Right.
 

GaryAdrian

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I would not carry a 40 cal on the waistband of my running shorts and think it was safe. Only gang members and football players think this is cool.
Holster it!
Be safe for you and your loved ones.
 

dyersvil

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Finally a smart person. I believe a properly carried firearm should in fact be holstered. As a matter of safety, if not conealed and carried in an "open fashion" it should be required to have some kind of weapon retention to prevent the weapon from falling out of the hoster or to have a better secure the weapon from being "taken away" from the individual. I am in favor of the open carry law being passed in Texas, however I do not believe it will pass the law makers. It should in fact come with some kind of training such as the bare minimum concealed handgun training. I do not know if the current legislation open carry is proposing is asking or requiring any such training or a "permit" to carry openly.
 

Mike

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dyersvil wrote:
It should in fact come with some kind of training such as the bare minimum concealed handgun training. I do not know if the current legislation open carry is proposing is asking or requiring any such training or a "permit" to carry openly.

Our proposal is to conform Texas law to that of most states - no duty to have any permit or training to carry the handgun you already legally own in an unconcealed manner in public. That's the way it is in most states. Are Texans dumber than the folks in other states? I doubt it.

Having said that, most open carriers are going to have the concealed license already.
 
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