Help Me Understand Open Carry

vtmarmot

P Magoon, Livin' Free NH
OK, here in Vermont we don't have to worry about such things so I haven't thought much about it until today. I saw a map of states that ban open carry, and those that require a permit for it. Georgia evidently requires a permit. I lived there for years and we would always strap on a pistol when scouting for deer during hot weather as snake protection. We never thought anything about it. Now I see that Texas bans it. Now does that mean that rancher Bob can't strap on his single action army when riding the range? He has to get a permit and then keep it under his coat? What if he pulls it out to shoot a snake. It's in the open then. Is that illegal too? Help me out here?
 
Georgia Law...

To carry a handgun openly or concealed in the state of Georgia (other than on your property or inside your home, car, or your place of business), you must have a Georgia Weapons Carry License (or the older Georgia Firearm License) issued under code 16-11-129.

There was a lot of changes to Georgia's handgun laws this year. Mainly expanding the places one can carry with a permit. Still don't need the carry license to tote on your own property though.

Keith
 
To carry a handgun openly or concealed in the state of Georgia (other than on your property or inside your home, car, or your place of business), you must have a Georgia Weapons Carry License (or the older Georgia Firearm License) issued under code 16-11-129.

Per O.C.G.A. 16-11-126:
(f) Any person with a valid hunting or fishing license on his or her person, or any person not required by law to have a hunting or fishing license, who is engaged in legal hunting, fishing, or sport shooting when the person has the permission of the owner of the land on which the activities are being conducted may have or carry on his or her person a handgun or long gun without a valid weapons carry license while hunting, fishing, or engaging in sport shooting.
 
Per O.C.G.A. 16-11-126:
(f) Any person with a valid hunting or fishing license on his or her person, or any person not required by law to have a hunting or fishing license, who is engaged in legal hunting, fishing, or sport shooting when the person has the permission of the owner of the land on which the activities are being conducted may have or carry on his or her person a handgun or long gun without a valid weapons carry license while hunting, fishing, or engaging in sport shooting.

Yup... That's one of the 7 exceptions, "a" thru "g", to needing a license to "carry" in Georgia. My response covered (a) which would exempt the OP's rancher Bob question if he wasn't hunting, fishing or sport shoot'n but just riding the range on his own property. "Now does that mean that rancher Bob can't strap on his single action army when riding the range?"
 
What About Texas?????

OK, we've got Georgia covered, thanks. What about rancher Bob riding the range in Texas. Have he and Bart and Skeeter Skelton been breaking the law all these years?
 
open carry

"the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Simple. All this other bull is in direct violation of the Constitution.
 
I know the 2nd Amendment - WHAT ABOUT TEXAS???????????????????????????????

Come on Texans, you're leaving me hanging here. I repeat:

Do you mean to tell me that all those ranchers ridin' the range with their six guns strapped outside their coat are breakin' the law?

Butch, Sam, you out there?
 
In Texas, as long as you are in private property, you can carry openly either a handgun or a rifle. Also it is permitted to carry a rifle or shotgun openly practically anywhere in Texas, but I would not recommend it, unless you don't mind being stop by the law, and being question about it, not to mention the rest of the people running away from you or taking cover.
Evelio.
 
What they are trying to say is some people get a little up tight when they see a gun of any kind! Not like the old days when you could go walking down the street with your gun over your shoulder to go hunting and they would think nothing of it. Everyone thinks if you have a gun you are a criminal.

Joe Salt
 
Things have changed in the past 40 years since I was in high school. All the pickups for the most part had a rifle sitting in the gun rack in the window of the pickup parked in the school parking lot. Never was it thought that someone would go in and start shooting people in a school with one. It just wasn't done or thought to do. In most of Texas you can do just about what you want with a firearm while you are on your own land whether it's hunting season or not. Around the cities that's a different thing. You'd just have to know your local laws about that and exactly where the city limits were. A few years ago the legislature did make it legal for people to carry handguns in their vehicles without having to have a concealed handgun license to do it. Before that you had to meet the definition of being traveling, whatever that meant. Nutshell, on your property which includes your vehicle, you can carry a firearm. Off of your property to carry a handgun, you have to have a concealed handgun license and have it concealed. There are some limitations as to where you can carry concealed.
 
Thanks, folks. It's all clear now!

Thanks for the comments about Texas. I understand.

Here in Vermont, our capitol, Montpelier, is pretty far left, just like Austin. Our biggest city, Burlington, is even more like it. Vermont has 22 people in the Senate. 6 of them are from one district in Burlington. People in that district get to vote for 6. I get to vote for 1. Somehow, that doesn't sound like democracy. In a head-to-head race, you get to explore positions and values. When it's "vote for 6" nobody wants to stand out.
 
Interesting conversation you all are having here. The worm has definitely turned since I grew up out in California. We do, in fact, have a Republic at the Federal Government; but not necessarily at the State, County and City levels of governance. There they are free to choose their own form. You can see some of these things that have held over in time in such matters as mineral and water rights associated with real property that differ from State to State. It breaks down to do you actually own the property, or just the right to use it? The Federal Government today looks at States as all being created equal.

As per the right to keep and bear arms as part of the the Bill of Rights pertains to Congress; they can make no law to abridge this right. Some State Constitutions also confirm these right to the citizenry, but again they are given some latitude here that the Feds should not, and do not, have. Discharging a firearm in the city limits comes to mind.

We do have some loony people walking among us today; and many of them are politicians at all levels of governance. From time to time City, County and State laws get enacted that are affront to these rights and they do, and should, be contested in a court of law. Laws are written for a purpose, and I think sometimes us as citizens, and not lawyers, misunderstand this when we here just a piece of a written law. The rancher Bob law in Texas is a good example; there is no Texican peace officer going to mess with rancher Bob openly carrying a firearm on his own property. Not sure the purpose of the law in question, but it has one; say to protect country parks or rest areas on the open interstate.

Some laws come down to how they are enforced, and peace officers can make mistakes too. Worked with a fellow who was sighted for that move over law for emergency vehicles. The law states move over or slow down; the matter was tossed out. And, from what I see out on the highway a lot of drivers don't understand why that law was written the way it was either; they come out of that right lane cutting off faster moving traffic stomping on their brakes. This a good example of a law that needs to be enforced by its intended purpose; and motorist's need to keep in mind that most States have a law about causing another vehicle to take evasive action...

CarolinaChuck
 
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