Open Carry for the Texans

According to YahooNews, the state of Texas, known to many as the pro-gun capital in the United States, actually has anti-open carry laws that ban the citizens of Texas to carry a firearm outside of their waistband. This all may change next year, however, since Republican Governor Greg Abbott has been elected. Mr. Abbott wishes to create greater rights in field of firearms. The Republican candidate has stated that "If open carry is good enough for Massachusetts, it's good enough for the state of Texas." However, Texas is not the only state to ban open carry. California, New York, Illinois, and South Carolina have all jumped on the "feel good" bandwagon, thinking that if they ban open carry, crime will go down. I am sorry to say, but that is not how it works. A citizen who is willing to go through the headache to get an open carry permit plans on using the firearm they carry to protect others and themselves, not to harm others. The people of Texas have greatly supported open carry for a large amount of time. The group known as "Open Carry Texas" has displayed firearms in public places such as Starbucks and even the Alamo. The members carry firearms openly, sometimes it is even rifles that they are carrying on their backs. The act of openly carrying a long arm, which is more often simply called a shotgun or rifle, is completely legal in Texas, even under the open carry ban, as the ban only banned handguns. But, as with anything related to firearms, there is opposition. As stated in a previous entry of mine, "Open Carry in the United States," the group called "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America" has spearheaded this anti-open carry movement. The group was also at the Alamo with Open Carry Texas, but they had a much different goal. Personally, I do not understand why so many people dislike open carry. Banning open carry will not eliminate crime, as no mass shooter has been seen open carrying on an everyday basis before he committed the crime. Banning open carrying is just a "feel good" legislature that I completely disapprove of and I agree with Governor Greg Abbott's goal of reinstating open carry in Texas.