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| Via AP |
Candidate for the United States Senate, MJ Hegar, has posted an open letter to Texas Senator John Cornyn calling for an end to open carry across the nation. MJ can talk from a personal point of view because she has used assault weapons for what they were intended for, to kill people. She writes:
I flashed back to my time in Afghanistan as the sounds of war rang in my ears. This isn’t the first time something reminded me so viscerally of my three tours in combat. But something different happened to me when I heard the terrified cries of children layered over the gunfire. Now I was experiencing war not just as a soldier, but as a mother, and this wasn’t a war zone on foreign soil, but in the streets of west Texas.MJ calls for an end to assault weapons on our streets.
That starts with getting weapons of war off of our streets and calling on governors and state legislators to ban the open carry of weapons. The reality is this: The reasons gun owners like me have for wanting to protect our Second Amendment rights — chief among them protecting our families — are not served by open carry. In recent days, we have seen companies like Walmart and Kroger take the lead and ask patrons to not openly carry weapons in their stores, but we can’t depend on that. Open carry itself is an assault on every bystander within range, as we feel the need to flee and cover our children without the freedom to call law enforcement for help. We must empower people to “see something, say something.”I doubt John Cornyn will do anything except to protect those he represents, the NRA. If Cornyn won't get these military weapons off the streets then we to get him off the streets.
MJ's full letter can be viewed here.
4 comments:
I think you're confusing two different things. Texas' open carry law, which went into effect in 2016, allows open carry of handguns. It has nothing to do with rifles.
Open carry of long guns (rifles and shotguns) has never been unlawful in Texas.
So even if you repealed the entire open carry statute, it would still be legal to carry a rifle.
True. That is for Texas. She is calling for an end to open carry at the federal level for all weapons.
Open carry is broadly legal in 45 states, and Texas' law is more restrictive than most. Even California allows it in limited circumstances. This isn't some fringe issue - a broad national consensus has emerged in favor of it.
Additionally, it doesn't seem to me that Congress has the power to regulate intrastate carrying of a handgun. Where in the Constitution do you see that power?
The second amendment - "the well regulated Militia" part.
All of the arguments on the second amendment prior to adoption were concerning the regulation of the militias and the existence of the state militias was to remove the need for a federal standing army. It failed, it was a failed amendment until in the last few decades a fringe view grew that it was not about militias but about gun ownership, which is nowhere supported.
Sorry, "a broad national consensus" is against open-carry and for more restrictions on who should have guns and what kinds.
55 percent of U.S. adults said the nation needs to prioritize controlling gun violence, compared to 39 percent of Americans who said they preferred protecting gun rights.
89 percent of Americans, saying Congress should pass more funding to screen and treat people with mental illness who are trying to purchase guns legally. Eighty-three percent of respondents said background checks should be required if someone wants to buy a gun at a gun show or through a private sale.
When asked if Congress should pass a national so-called “red flag” law, otherwise known as extreme risk protection orders, which allow police to seize a person’s gun after a judge decides that individual poses a threat to themselves or others, 72 percent of Americans supported the idea, compared to 23 percent who did not. Similarly, 72 percent of U.S. adults said a person should be required to obtain a license before buying a gun.
Sixty-one percent of out of 10 Americans said they want to ban high-capacity magazines
On Open carry: 50% of registered voters polled feel less safe knowing people can openly carry guns in public, with 31% saying they feel much less safe. The poll also found that 51% of those polled oppose allowing people outside of law enforcement to openly carry guns in public.
Seventy-two percent of Democrats and 41% of Republicans favor a no-gun policy in restaurants and stores
Texas voters: an overwhelming majority of Texas voters oppose allowing people to carry handguns in bars, at sporting events, in courthouses and at open government meetings and strongly support gun permits and requiring background checks before gun purchases.
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=26828866-3c44-4347-b7f2-aff559766aa3
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