More than a month before the Texas legislative session starts Jan. 13, gun-rights supporters are asking state legislators to pass an “open carry” law to let Texans wear guns openly, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reports. They are putting their message on billboards, on banners on cabs and in radio ads, asking others to sign on to the cause. “We are targeting Texas,” said Mike Stollenwerk of www.opencarry.org, a champion of the growing nationwide effort. “Texas is probably the most pro-gun state, but doesn't have open-carry laws.
Texas is an open-carry battleground because it is one of only six states where handguns cannot, in some form, legally be worn in plain view. Texas residents may carry concealed handguns if they have a permit. More than 28,000 people have signed an online petition asking Gov. Rick Perry and the legislature to make Texas an open-carry state. “Some fear that pushing for open carry could bring more problems than solutions. “What are they trying to do?” said Richard Leal of Texans for Gun Safety Laws. “Go back to Texas gunslinger days?” It has been 14 years since the state legislature passed a concealed-carry law.