Open Carry of a Handgun inTexas

[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.