Port Arthur, Texas Police Chief Mark Blanton went on record saying he opposes Governor Greg Abbott’s plans to sign a law making Texas the 45th state to allow some kind of open carry.
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is thrilled with Blanton’s opposition.
According to Fox 4 KBTV, Blanton said his reasoning for opposing open carry is that “citizens are going to call [police] when they see someone carrying a weapon.”
He did not clarify how that will be any different from the way things are now, where you can legally open carry rifles and shotguns in public. Nor did he explain why citizens in the numerous other states with open carry have grown accustomed to seeing their fellow citizens armed.
Nevertheless, Moms Demand Action’s Clair Elizabeth praised Blanton’s opposition:
As Texas and as Moms, we than Chief Mark Blanton for his opposition to the expansion of open carry and for speaking out in favor of public safety and responsible gun ownership. Open Carry forces police to ask questions that present a real challenge to their ability to ensure public safety–does this person have a permit? Is he a felon?
Elizabeth misses the fact that in current bill–HB 195 — Open Carry would require no permit. It puts Texas on track to join Arizona, Alaska, and other such states in recognizing that the right to keep and bear arms is in itself a sufficient justification for carrying a handgun to defend one’s life and the lives of one’s family.
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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