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Comment by abruzzi | Hacker News Reader

The headline is misleading, it is unlicensed _concealed carry_ that is being legalized, from what I can tell. I don't know Texas gun laws but I suspect its already to open carry without a licenses. Also the article mentioned that Texas already has unlicensed carry of rifles. Again, while this is true, it doesn't strike me as uncommon in the US. I line in New Mexico, and yes, we're less restrictive of costal states but we also have unlincesed open carry, and unlincensed rifle carry. Concealed carry in NM does require a permit, but its pretty easy to get.

The article gave me the feeling on non-americans writing about america--they focus on what is unusual to them, without necessarily realizing that some of it is pretty common in the US, with our lax gun laws.

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Yeah, this is what happens when you don't have "natives" writing articles. It also shows a lack of research because they really don't survey the other states to see where Texas is at on the spectrum of laws (hint - following others). It really does have a "the colonists are getting rowdy" vibe.

Where I live in rural New Mexico, near Arizona, open carry is astoundingly common to this California escapee. The other day I had a neighbor, an electrician and his assistant, and a gravel truck driver on my lot on the same day, and all were open carrying pistols. Three were from Arizona, one from New Mexico. People don't even blink at that around here.

A concealed carry permit in New Mexico may be easier (or just possible) to get than in other states, but it still took me about 4 hours of driving, 6 hours of class time and maybe 8 hours of managing extensive paperwork. Then it expired in a year and I was faced with doing most of that over again, so didn't bother. In Arizona the only reason to get a permit is to have reciprocal rights in some other states. I just wanted one to make it legal to carry a loaded gun in my pack on hikes, mostly to defend my dog from coyotes.

This is unusual to a lot of Americans too. I didn't know it was legal anywhere in the country to carry any kind of gun without a license.

Here are some fun anecdotes that may shock a lot of non Americans (and some urban Americans):

My dad first took me shooting around 6 or 7 years old. I shot my first 12 gauge shotgun at around 10 or 11 years old, and I kept a deer rifle in my room from age 15(I didn't have ammo). At 17, I bought an AK47 semi-automatic rifle, and got my first handgun at 19. I regularly conceal carry a 9mm pistol and I don't have a license, though I do have training from a very young age and plan to get a conceal carry permit just because. I plan to raise my daughter similarly.

I live in rural Missouri. Most kids and young adults don't get an AK47, but otherwise my story isn't unusual around here.

LOL I'm from a Northern California suburb and have a very similar experience. No AK, but I did get a 12 gauge for my 12th birthday (grew up hunting upland game birds) and got my grandfather's .30-.30 passed down to me when I was 13.

That's cool! Was your experience typical for the region?

In my city, no. In my county, yes. Not many kids hunted at my school(s), but in the neighboring city, their high school had marksmanship, sporting clay, and hunting clubs sponsored by the school.

Come to think of it, the only friends I had growing up that were into hunting/ angling/ bushcraft were the ones I met through the Boy Scouts.

It is not unusual. There are around 15 states with constitutional carry and CCW reciprocity laws and counting. Additionally, the vast majority of states that do have CCW licensing requirements are loosening the requirements for approval. Not training requirements, mind you, but the requirements for your "reason." Hell, even in CA there are only 3 counties that aren't "shall issue" at this point. Even LA loosed restrictions like 2 months ago.

> I didn't know it was legal anywhere in the country to carry any kind of gun without a license.

Have you heard of hunting? There are millions of people carrying their firearms around in the wilderness every year.

Yes, I just assumed you needed a license to carry the gun, and maybe a hunting license to use it on animals. I haven't tried hunting so I haven't needed to look into the laws.

I think this is generally the problem. People make assumptions about "the way things are" based on limited perception or their local area and proceed to act like it's unusual on the internet, which gives these author's and articles a pass in our minds.

At least 20 states are Constitutional Carry as of 2021: http://www.gun-nuttery.com/rtc.php (there's a fantastic gif there - I honestly wish there were similar gifs for other state-by-state law changes)

And IIRC there's more states that have enacted CC in 2021 before Texas, bringing the total to ~23.

Here's a map of what states allow open carry, it is definitely more than you imagined.

https://opencarry.org/maps/map-open-carry-of-a-properly-hols...

and here's the Wiki article for concealed carry in each state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_carry_in_the_United_...

and a useful guide for state by state reciprocity of concealed carry permits.

https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_m...

That's a shame that the news hasn't given you that information during one of the many times "guns" have hit the news. I really think someone is going to have a field day taking in the local laws & statistics and matching it to news items to give people a much more informative news stream.

I remember on my first year here in Texas, driving by Arlington's city hall and there were a bunch of second amendment rights guys protesting outside, armed to the teeth with assault rifles and camo pants.

The police in their HQ right across the street didn't seem bothered by it so I assumed it must be legal.

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