Open firearms carry: What is “manner calculated to cause alarm?”

Our friends in Abilene held a rally in support of Open Carry of firearms this past weekend and received strong local media coverage. David Collins, the organizer and head of Key City Patriots, was quoted by KTXS as saying: “The second amendment, you know, says we shall not be infringed and you know, people just need to understand that in Texas we take that seriously.”

“We’ve had a lot of people moving to Texas from other states recently, they don’t understand how gun friendly Texas really is or how gun friendly it could be,” Collins told the TV reporter.

I liked this part of the KTXS report best: “Moms like Cat Colson wants women to be able to feel protected themselves no matter where they choose to live. “I hope more women get involved in handguns, I hope more women get involved in organizations like this. You know as moms, I know a lot of people don’t like to say it, but as moms we are more responsible for our families,” Colson said.

David Collins reminded all that in the past couple of legislative sessions, open carry bills have been filed but haven’t yet passed. He said that he is “hoping that in the next session we can get it done.”

I agree with the idea of open carry in Texas but realize that to make it work, we have to remove the much abused part of the penal code which says person “commits an offense if he intentionally or knowingly…displays a firearm or other deadly weapon in a public place in a manner calculated to alarm.”

This law allows for gross abuse; what is a “manner calculated to alarm?” Anti-gunners and wimps are alarmed just knowing that guns exist – a perfect example is found in this story.

Simply cleaning up this part of Texas law would go a long way toward protecting us from harassment for bearing arms.

 

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Comments

  1. We need such a rally in Lubbock!

  2. Frederick Jones says

    I ‘m sorry I missed the rally. I’m with open carry 100%.

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