Texas HB 2756: Open Carry
Representative George Lavender has filed House Bill 2756, which removes the requirement for Concealed Handgun Licensees to keep their handguns concealed at all times.
The full text of the bill can be found at http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB2756
At this time a Senate companion bill has not yet been filed. Now is the time to get in touch with your state Senator to get a companion bill filed, and your House Representatives to get their support for HB 2756. I would recommend both an email and a phone call to their office.
Find out who represents you at: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
Please vote to pass HB 2756. We need it to show our support of the State, Shariff, Local Police & boarder patol against criminals & illigals. Open carry would show our support.
To best help pass this bill, please join Lone Star Citizens’ Defense League. http://www.lonestarcdl.org/
LSCDL membership is less than the price of a box of shells but your voices added to ours is powerful.
Thank you for your support!
Carrying a concealed handgun legally in Texas is difficult at times–the concern about someone seeing the weapon and then calling the police is always present. The accidental showing of a legal firearm should not be treated as a felony in TX or elsewhere in the USA. Time for legal carry to be treated as it should be–legal.
Instead of allowing people that have gone through the concealed hand gun course being allowed to open carry it should be allowed for ALL citizens to open carry, and leave the concealed carry licenses stand. Some people just dont want to end up in a data base.
You are right Stephen but this is a good first step. Join LSCDL and find out how you can help shape Texas law so that your children grow up with good laws instead of oppressive laws.
We need this bill to pass. Most every concealed lincence gun hold carrys now covered but you can tell that they are so why not get a bill into effect that lets us carry so it can be seen. we used to carry back in the times of the old west.
Pass this bill ASAP, Your Future as a Gun owner may depend on it!
I openly support this bill for open carry for the reason of deterrence.
Persons allowed to carry have been screened and should be “Good People” AKA the good guys. This will stop any crime from taking place or will make a criminal think twice. Please Pass this Bill…H
I am in support of HB2756 …I’m really not interested in open carry for myself but it does take away the penalty for accidental display by a licenced law-abiding citizen (high wind blows open coat)…(fishermen in a remote area)..(changing flat tire late at night on isolated highway) etc….its a good bill ..
The carry licenced citizens of Texas have already proven to be the most law-abiding people in our state..Not one of the negative predictions of concealed carry came true,it fact just the opposite..I vote YES.
Don’t worry about what you see, worry about what you don’t see.
The bad guys don’t care about a CCL. There going to carry anyway.
I’m for open carry. If an officer see a crook carrying an open hand gun .
He would arest him.
I have my CCL and find it rather frustrating to know that if my weapon is seen (inadvertently) or leaves a signature my through my shirt that I may be convicted of a felony. Conceal carrying also can and does in most cases make it more difficult to access to your weapon in the event of an attack or crime. The purpose of this bill is not to bring back the Wild West; it is a bill that WILL bring down the numbers of violent crimes just because the criminal now sees others who carry and that will be a huge deterrent. Many states have open carry laws and have very little issue with it outside the occasional phone call about a man with a gun (holstered) and the police need to check him out…
I vote YES to HB2756.
OK Law makers , as Larry the cable guy said “GET ER DONE”
We lost out on open carry this legislative session. When the Texas legislature reconvenes in 2013, perhaps we can get it passed then.
Wouldn’t open carry let the criminals target you prior to commiting an offense?
Think about what you have just said…..a crininal is targeting you…..So a criminal is on the prowl and looking for a target. To me the odds are reduced he will attack you with the weopon then if he did not see you carrying it. if he takes you wallet its robery. if he takes your wepon it is armed robery……another 5 years?
We need to pass an open carry similar to our Castle Doctrine that allows any lawout ones person. abiding citizen,as long as he or she is not a convicted felon, drug abuser, or gand member to carry a concealed weapon in his or her car, you have to carry it to and from your house to your motor vehicle any way. When I read the law it states that you can carry in your vehicle on or about one person.
It is a short step to open carry for these same law abiding citizens that can ill afford the tax on concealed carry.
S.R. Green
Wimberley Texas
I support open carry but it seems to cause a lot of conflict with police. The Police are VERY much against the practice. I used to live in Arizona a open carry state, and people would call the cops on you if ever OC’d in public. The cops would see you as a threat and hassle you about it. They would always lecture you saying, “yeah it’s your right but it makes the public nervous” or “why are you trying to push the limits your just trying to make a point”. LEO’s really have a disdain for open carry… I’m all for it. However realize if this passes and you decide to open carry. Your going to be hassled by police virtually everytime you decide to do it.
I live in the Rio Grande Valley and with all the spillover violence here I would feel safer to open carry when I’m out with my family who cares about how cops feel, and if I get hasseled, I got nothing to hide!