Open-Carry Bills Spur Discussion Among San Marcos Residents

Texas gun advocates disagree over whether pistol owners should be required to pass background checks and certification classes before being able to carry and display handguns in public areas. Lawmakers in support of open carry legislation must decide between two distinctly different bills.

House Bill 106 would allow Texans to carry pistols openly only after passing background checks, completing classroom instruction and receiving certification.

Constitutional carry advocates side with House Bill 195, which would allow open carrying of handguns and remove the requirement of having a Concealed Handgun License in order to carry.

This bill garnered significant media attention at the opening of this year’s session in a series of protests at the Capitol.

Constitutional carry supporters such as Mike Cox, a lifetime member of the Texas State Rifle Association, believe in a strict interpretation of the second amendment. Cox argues for the ability to openly carry handguns without licensing or regulation.

The state government passed laws in 1871 restricting public display of pistols. Texas is currently one of only six states to fully prohibit open display, Cox said.

Cox would like to see the Texas Legislature “restore” the second amendment and allow citizens to carry firearms openly without restrictions.

Cox said current laws permitting citizens to display rifles and shotguns in public, but not pistols, are backward and illogical compared to laws in other states. New Mexico has always allowed the open display of handguns and, after legislative battles, has passed laws to allow the carrying of concealed firearms.

“I believe the constitution has been weakened through time, and I believe the founding fathers knew what they were doing,” Cox said. “I have confidence in my fellow man.”

Hal Skaggs, owner of Gun Guys & Gals in Kyle, said he understands both sides of the debate.

Skaggs said concealed carry makes sense from a constitutional standpoint, but irresponsible gun owners may contribute to more violence without the requirement of licensing.

“As a person who thinks people need to be responsible for their own actions, I get a little concerned because we don’t necessarily live in a time when people embrace personal responsibility as well as they used to,” Skaggs said.

Cox and Skaggs said they believe people’s actions—not the overt display of weapons in public—contribute to violence. “I have (a) shop full of guns here,” Skaggs said. “They never go off on their own.”

Cox and Skaggs believe openly displaying firearms may deter individuals from committing violent crimes. “People don’t rob gun stores,” Skaggs said. Others believe gun restrictions should be extended, not weakened.

Jon Leonard, chair of the Hays County Democratic Party, said unpredictable situations can lead to violence when guns are displayed openly despite training and good intentions.

“People can find themselves in a situation where they are reacting rather than thinking,” Leonard said. “When you have the ability to just to pull a gun out and do something with it, and you are not thinking, and in an emotional situation—tragedy can grow from that.”

Cox disagrees, citing the records of states with constitutional carry laws.“It’s not like it’s unknown territory,” Cox said. “There are plenty (of) states that have open carry. The law enforcement in those states (has said) it’s not an issue.”

Cox, Leonard and Skaggs may disagree on the issues of open carry, but they all expect a less restrictive handgun law to pass this year.

Cox said any step toward making the open display of firearms easier would serve to dispel myths and half-truths, although he supports the creation of constitutional carry laws.

People are less likely to be afraid of guns for irrational reasons if they spend time around them,  Skaggs said.

“In the Middle Ages, if a horse-drawn cart ran over a peasant, they would burn the cart and hang the horse and attribute (it) as having evil spirits,” Cox said. “That’s just about what they’ve done with the gun.”

Leonard has hope for the future. He believes “cooler heads will prevail” eventually, even if some form of open carry law passes this legislative session.

The open carry debate is an important discussion but ultimately a distraction from larger social issues like healthcare, education and the minimum wage, Leonard said.

“This is a sideshow,” Leonard said. “There are so many more important things to focus on than open carry.”

Jon Wilcox is a reporter for the University Star where this article originally published. It is reprinted here through a news partnership between the University Star and Corridor News