Open Carry of a Handgun inTexas

[Don]

Paul, the UK law prohibiting hand guns allows for a comparison. Is there a common belief from the citizens, not the politicians, that the law has influenced the downward trend in the UK for all types of crime:

According to the BCS:

In 2005/06 the total number of crimes in England and Wales was around 10,912,000.
Total crime peaked in 1995, and has since fallen by 44%.
In 2005/06 around 23% of the population were the victim of some type of crime.
This has fallen from a high in 1995 of nearly 40% of the population.

http://www.crimestatistics.org.uk/output/page54.asp

Have the public officials, except for those that originated the ban, attributed to the downward trend in crime to the handgun ban or are there other influences ?

I do not recall, excluding the military, does everyone in the UK police force carry a handgun ?

As a starting point, the principle of citizen rights within the context of an orderly society , cannot be removed from the discussion. Once there is a start of restrictions of any type, the next set of restrictions can be implemented with potentially less resistance, even on a gradual basis.

" The Supreme Court on Thursday embraced the long-disputed view that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to own a gun for personal use, ruling 5 to 4 that there is a constitutional right to keep a loaded handgun at home for self-defense.

The landmark ruling overturned the District of Columbia ban on handguns, the strictest gun-control law in the country, and appeared certain to usher in a new round of litigation over gun rights throughout the country.

The court rejected the view that the Second Amendment’s “right of the people to keep and bear arms” applied to gun ownership only in connection with service in the “well regulated militia” to which the amendment refers.

Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion, his most important in his 22 years on the court, said that the justices were “aware of the problem of handgun violence in this country” and “take seriously” the arguments in favor of prohibiting handgun ownership.

“But the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table,” he said, adding, “It is not the role of this court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.”

Justice Scalia’s opinion was signed by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr " .

[diegokid]

What most people seem to overlook is the point that the 2nd amendment was made so we the people could protect ourselves from the government. With this being said why are we in such a hurry to let government make the decisions for individuals? In reality if the court would have judged in favor of DC wouldn't that have been why the 2nd was created in the first place?

[Dwight]

My father bought me a single barrel shotgun when I was 12. I learn to hunt with this gun. I was drafted into the Army in 1966 and returned home in '68. After I married in '69 and had a couple of kids I bought a couple of pistols to shoot for fun. I enjoy history so I read magazines and books to learn the history that goes with guns. Guns are like cars. They both have a history and are mechanical. Most men like mechanical things. Tools, boats, guns, cars, buildings, etc. Over the years I bought guns that I can use to protect family and myself but I have never used one for protection. I have a lot of insurance that I have paid for thru the years that I have not used. Maybe it's the same thing. I feel good knowing that I have this insurance. History has proved many times over that some men will try to rule over others with violent force. Guns in the hands of good men can hold these evil men at bay. Governments are made up of men, some good, some bad. Look at the last 20 years of history in the world. Are all people free to do what they want to do? Do gangsters and police dept terrorize the people?
I just sleep better knowing that I and a lot of people in the U.S.A. have guns in their homes.


Dwight

[392cobra]

The following is a very good read.It goes to the English and the U.S. liberal's anti-gun/anti-self defence mind set.
It also points out the slippery slope the English have gone down and where we might have been headed if the decision yesterday by the Supreme Ct. had gone the other way.

Gun Control's Twisted Outcome
Restricting firearms has helped make England more crime-ridden than the U.S.

http://www.reason.com/news/show/28582.html

[will butterwort]

to the comment about having to pull out your gun. I intentionally moved to rural cleburne co. alabama to get away from it. wrong--it will come to you--it has to me. Since vietnam--never wanted to see a gun again.Rural ,ala. first thing i rem. is having to chase lovers off our farm--fired some up in the air.Next--out of staters-kids pulled off road to have sex at home construction site--took two guns with me--ran them off.Next--group of teenagers hold up in old house on farm for week or two--didn,t know about--accidentally saw-caught up with--pulled out guns again to check out situation--kids hold up --apprenhended them--callec sheriff--. What I have learned in these 37 years in rural alabama--your on your on--when sheriff gets there it will all be over. I can sight lots more--four times being robbed-burglarized--there is no help from police--don,t mention the tomes I have called game warden for help shooting across our pastures-houses--one shooter was about 100 yards in my cemetery firing by house in night-time. Well--you get the idea--police investigates when it is all over.Game warden hasn,t showed up yet. Governments have killed heck of a lot more folks than citizens have, out of control--gestapo comes to mind,then whole country goes criminal, ww11, 51 million, not to mention uncle Joe, up north. Thus the second amendment .Will-alabama

[Bobcat]

Had to "use " my handgun some years ago . I used to have to travel at all hours and go through the middle of nowhere to get where I was going . Nature called at 1:00am in the boonies , so I pulled off the road and went into the woods . Came out and there were 4 "individuals" around my car trying to get in . Asked what they wanted and as they approached me , I casually pulled my .45 and repeated the question . End of problem .
Second time was on the way back from a race , towing my race car . Carload of punks thought it would be great fun to pass me and slam on their brakes , pull ahead and repeat . Slowing down and trying to avoid any conflict only escalated things . When they came along side and tried to force me off the road , I pulled the gun and racked a round in the chamber and they took the next exit .
FYI ... a good friend of mine is with the Sheriff`s Dept here ( First entry team ) and he told me you would be crazy in today`s society to not have a CWP !
You have to wonder why the Government is so anxious to disarm all the citizens ???

[Buzz]

I don't live in the US but similar arguments are happening here as we speak.

My Dad taught me to shoot (plus load, clean, handle and respect) a revolver when I was very young. Like one poster above wrote, I am like most lil' boys and love cars, guns, boats, planes, tools, and machinery in general.

The laws down here will allow issue a concealed handgun license to the successful applicant only if he or she has verifiable medical and background references and can show a specific need. No constitutionally guaranteed RKBA here, unfortunately.

ALL handgun permits are concealed carry and you are admonished to keep your weapon on your person or in your direct control at all times - NEVER, for example, leave it locked in your car. If your firearm is lost or stolen you can, depending on the circumstances, be held liable for a hefty fine.

There are sporting (competition) permits as well, and people with large acreages or properties (a big home on a 20,000+ sq.ft. lot will often qualify) can also apply for an "estate license" that permits them to buy and keep a rifle or shotgun. All guns are registered in the name of the licensed owner and cannot be transferred without due process.

Due to the nature of my business(es) and a couple of brushes with some ill-intentioned folks in the past, I am an armed citizen. In addition to my Dad's tutoring and lots of hands on practice over the years, I of course had to undergo the mandatory training which is pretty in-depth; along with regular range drills. I used to be a bit of a hothead in the past (when I was a few weeks younger ) but carrying a licensed gun has forced me to become a more aware, diplomatic and socially responsible citizen.

I understand the 2A constitutional issue and discuss it often with US friends, but I have to say I like our system of checks and training and cannot feel good about every Tom, Dickhead, and Harry with a self esteem deficit issue going to the corner gunstore and buying a .500 S&W. I also shudder to think of people with no training or experience with even the basic rules toting a 15 round Glock with its so-called trigger (un)safety mechanism (I know - I own one). Rights come with responsibility and common sense and simply turning everyone loose with a gun, to me, is like letting everyone drive on the freeways without the learning and licensing process. A gun, like a car, is only a tool that does what the user makes it do. Both can wreak mayhem and destruction in incompetent or malicious hands.

No good person should be denied the ability to protect themselves or their own from aggression and harm but without some sensible system of training and regulation, mere posession of a gun in the hands of SOME people might be more of a liability to themselves and others than anything else.

Having said all that I am glad to hear that the 2A was upheld and squeamish paranoids will not impose an unreasonable fear of an inanimate device on the good members of the populace. I also hope these same good people will recognize the merit in tolerating a small measure of regulation and inconvenience as a tradeoff in favor of the greater good in the same spirit, for instance, that we accept the benefits of enduring tighter security measures at the airports when we travel.

[392cobra]

I believe a Man's biggest responsibilities are to provide for and protect his family,their possessions,and to defend others & himself from harm.

It isn't the Government or police's job to protect me,even if they could.

The problem with gun's are the criminal,not the law abiding citizen.

The holder of a CHL has been checked out from the local level thru the Federal level.Then youhave to pass tests on gun laws and be able to fire it with proficiently.

In 2006 there were 258,162 CHL holders in Texas.

Here are the 2006 Texas Criminal Convictions....

Total Convictions
in Texas 61,539

Convictions
of CHL Holders 140

CHL Holder
Percentage of Total
Convictions .2275%

"Total Convictions in Texas" includes all convictions reported to the state criminal history repository for the offense during the calendar year for individuals age 21 or over.

[FatBoy]

Originally Posted by Don

I do not recall, excluding the military, does everyone in the UK police force carry a handgun ?

Hi Don,
The vast majority of British Police don't carry firearms.

In general, crime has reduced in the UK, but only a tiny fraction of crime is gun related and that tends to be gang related. However, we do have a bit of a knife issue at present with teenagers carrying knifes, supposedly to protect themselves. However, all that appears to be happening is that once a knife is drawn, it escalates a minor dispute into a potential killing, when it may have been a simple brawl had knifes not been present.

I will gladly acknowledge that our laws have tended to favour the criminals and anyone who has taken it upon themselves to take on any intruder or assailant has left themselves open to intense scrutiny from the authorities as to whether justifiable force was used. However, that situation seems to have been addressed more recently, with the government basically giving the all clear to defend yourself, family or property (but not with a firearm).

The issue that concerns many people at present in Britain is that of apparently lawless juveniles. A few people have been attacked and very sadly, killed by gangs of "kids" when they have been confronted by a member of the public for some misdemeanour. Thankfully, very few, if any of these tragic events have involved firearms, not that that is any consolation to those involved or their families.

Paul