Open Carry Activist C.J Grisham Finalist for Dallas Morning News Texan Of The Year

[William Tell]

C.J. Grisham
“We were not a bunch of rabble-rousers; we were just out there to educate people that there is nothing to be afraid about seeing a gun in the hands of law-abiding citizens,” Open Carry Texas founder C.J. Grisham says.






Published: 21 December 2014 07:32 PM
Updated: 22 December 2014 08:41 AM


C.J. Grisham’s mission to legalize the open carrying of handguns began on a hike with his teenage son along a country road in Bell County.
Suddenly, a Temple police officer rolled up behind, got out of his car and tried to seize a rifle Grisham had strapped across his chest. Grisham asserted his legal right to carry the assault-style weapon. In a flash, he was staring down the barrel of the officer’s pistol, bent over the hood of the police car and handcuffed. He later paid a $2,000 fine for interfering with police duties.
The 2013 encounter, caught on the officer’s dash cam, became a YouTube phenomenon and a defining moment for the 20-year Army veteran and father of three. Galvanized by the officer’s confusion about state law — which allows Texans to carry rifles in plain view — Grisham formed Open Carry Texas to bring attention to and expand gun rights in Texas.
Few issues ignite passions as much as the balance between Second Amendment rights and public safety. Grisham’s Texas movement mushroomed this year to include rallies to spread the gun-friendly message. The events — some staged by copycat groups — also tested the patience of businesses surprised by bands of armed customers walking through the front door.
Grisham, whose organization claims a membership of more than 36,000, attends public events with a long rifle strapped across his body and a rubber handgun on his hip. The rubber pistol is symbolic of the current stage of his gun-rights campaign — lobbying state lawmakers to allow openly carrying handguns without a permit.
Grisham, 40, who runs his family’s cattle and grain farm in Temple, concedes that “seeing a bunch of people walking around with rifles and shotguns is sort of shock to the system.” Yes, it surely is. This newspaper sides with critics who think the publicity stunts are overly provocative, especially in an urban setting.
Still, Grisham insists, “We challenged the prevailing wisdom about guns in public and the stigma. … We were not a bunch of rabble-rousers; we were just out there to educate people that there is nothing to be afraid about seeing a gun in the hands of law-abiding citizens.”

Read the full article:
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/ed...j.-grisham.ece

[Acala]

Deliberately scaring people is a stupid strategy because scared people do stupid things. Does this approach have a single demonstrable victory to point to?

[William Tell]

Deliberately scaring people is a stupid strategy because scared people do stupid things. Does this approach have a single demonstrable victory to point to?

Well, first off all it all started when a cop arrested C.J while he was legally carrying a rifle. That became a huge story in Texas and around the country, since that time thousands of people have participated in pro open carry protests here.

A number of candidates have won office here in large part due to support by Open Carry activists. Most notably Tony Tinderholt. In fact, Open Carry became such a big issue that even Democrat abortion barbie Wendy Davis came out in favor of it in her run for governor. She has since admitted she does not really support it.

I have no doubt some people have been turned off by some of the public protests. Some are going about it the wrong way I think.
But the arrest of C.J Grisham, and the protests and demonstrations that have followed, have turned Open/Constitutional carry into one of the biggest issues in Texas Politics. When it was not even on the radar a couple years ago.

There are at least 3 different handgun open carry bills introduced in the house.

[phill4paul]

Deliberately scaring people is a stupid strategy because scared people do stupid things. Does this approach have a single demonstrable victory to point to?

Exercising one's rights =/= deliberately scaring people.

[William Tell]

Exercising one's rights =/= deliberately scaring people.

The point of the 'scary' open carry protests is pretty simple. It is perfectly legal to openly carry an AR15 into a store or down the street in Texas. You will get in trouble if you carry a 22 pistol openly on your hip. However, you can carry an old style 44 cal. Black Powder revolver on your hip.

It is absurd. People will stop carrying AR15s so much once they are allowed to carry a normal pistol of their choice openly, and without a license. And once we have true constitutional carry recognized again instead of a CHL, these people will probably just carry concealed/

[Weston White]

Gee, what is more intimidating, walking towards somebody with a .40 holstered to their was or walking towards somebody with a AR-15 hanging across their chest? Good work Texas legislature, keep up the wonderful work you tools are doing. FAIL.

[presence]

The point of the 'scary' open carry protests is pretty simple. It is perfectly legal to openly carry an AR15 into a store or down the street in Texas. You will get in trouble if you carry a 22 pistol openly on your hip. However, you can carry an old style 44 cal. Black Powder revolver on your hip.

u can buy conversion kits from 44 Black to 45 Colt

[William Tell]

Gee, what is more intimidating, walking towards somebody with a .40 holstered to their was or walking towards somebody with a AR-15 hanging across their chest? Good work Texas legislature, keep up the wonderful work you tools are doing. FAIL.

Indeed, Texas gun laws actually go back to the Reconstruction era. 1876 state Constitution states:

Sec. 23. RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. Every citizen shall have the right to keep and bear arms in the lawful defense of himself or the State; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime.

Quite the annoying little clause. However, since restricting gun rights has been shown to increase crime. The current laws are unconstitutional from a Texas perspective even by that dumb rule. Without even getting into the 2nd amendment and natural God given rights issue.

Jonathan Stickland introduced a Constitutional Carry bill that will solve all this if passed.

[William Tell]

u can buy conversion kits from 44 Black to 45 Colt

I know!

[phill4paul]

Gee, what is more intimidating, walking towards somebody with a .40 holstered to their was or walking towards somebody with a AR-15 hanging across their chest? Good work Texas legislature, keep up the wonderful work you tools are doing. FAIL.

For myself, neither is naturally intimidating. In fact quite the opposite. I find it heartening. I think to myself "Self, there is a man that understands the natural balance and his natural right of self defense." Now cops "hut-hutting" strapped with AR's and in the throes of a roid induced manhunt...that I find intimidating.

[Acala]

Well, first off all it all started when a cop arrested C.J while he was legally carrying a rifle. That became a huge story in Texas and around the country, since that time thousands of people have participated in pro open carry protests here.

A number of candidates have won office here in large part due to support by Open Carry activists. Most notably Tony Tinderholt. In fact, Open Carry became such a big issue that even Democrat abortion barbie Wendy Davis came out in favor of it in her run for governor. She has since admitted she does not really support it.

I have no doubt some people have been turned off by some of the public protests. Some are going about it the wrong way I think.
But the arrest of C.J Grisham, and the protests and demonstrations that have followed, have turned Open/Constitutional carry into one of the biggest issues in Texas Politics. When it was not even on the radar a couple years ago.

There are at least 3 different handgun open carry bills introduced in the house.

Concealed carry is a big issue everywhere without these tactics. Texas is way behind on the issue. But where is the evidence that the particular tactics this guy uses are driving the politics of concealed carry? All I have seen is businesses getting upset.

[Acala]

Exercising one's rights =/= deliberately scaring people.

Just because you are free to do something doesn't mean you should. And, by the way, you DON'T have a Constitutional right to wear a gun on private property.

[Acala]

The point of the 'scary' open carry protests is pretty simple. It is perfectly legal to openly carry an AR15 into a store or down the street in Texas. You will get in trouble if you carry a 22 pistol openly on your hip. However, you can carry an old style 44 cal. Black Powder revolver on your hip.

It is absurd. People will stop carrying AR15s so much once they are allowed to carry a normal pistol of their choice openly, and without a license. And once we have true constitutional carry recognized again instead of a CHL, these people will probably just carry concealed/

I can promise you that this convoluted logic is lost on the average person. I think their motives are questionable.

[Acala]

For myself, neither is naturally intimidating. In fact quite the opposite. I find it heartening. I think to myself "Self, there is a man that understands the natural balance and his natural right of self defense." Now cops "hut-hutting" strapped with AR's and in the throes of a roid induced manhunt...that I find intimidating.

If you think you are anything remotely like the average person in this regards - the average person who controls elections, by the way - you are dead wrong.

[CaptainAmerica]

Deliberately scaring people is a stupid strategy because scared people do stupid things. Does this approach have a single demonstrable victory to point to?

I am actually all for protests of open carry but going to a store or a fast food diner with a rifle strapped is not really a great idea or great way to protest for open carry, I think Spokane Washington demonstrated a protest I agreee with.

[Acala]

I am actually all for protests of open carry but going to a store or a fast food diner with a rifle strapped is not really a great idea or great way to protest for open carry, I think Spokane Washington demonstrated a protest I agreee with.

Exactly! Protest a bad law by disobeying the bad law. Trying to get a bad law changed by doing something else that is legal but scary to many people is likely to just get the law you already like changed for the worse.

[phill4paul]

Just because you are free to do something doesn't mean you should. And, by the way, you DON'T have a Constitutional right to wear a gun on private property.

When it comes to the right of self defense...use it or lose it. I, by the way, never claimed a Constitutional right to wear a gun on private property.

[William Tell]

Exactly! Protest a bad law by disobeying the bad law. Trying to get a bad law changed by doing something else that is legal but scary to many people is likely to just get the law you already like changed for the worse.

No. Because this is Texas, they are not going to change the law for the worse. Voting to erode gun rights is the one sure fire way to lose your job in the Legislature. Carrying a rifle doesn't have to be a protest anyway, it can be for self defense.

[phill4paul]

If you think you are anything remotely like the average person in this regards - the average person who controls elections, by the way - you are dead wrong.

I'm not worried about whether or not a voter will take away my gun rights. They cannot. They are natural.

[Acala]

Carrying a rifle doesn't have to be a protest anyway, it can be for self defense.

Not buying it. You said it yourself - if people want these guys to stop carrying rifles openly, they need to make concealed carry legal. So it is not only a protest, it is a kind of extortionate threat. It is not making friends for gun owners.

[Acala]

I'm not worried about whether or not a voter will take away my gun rights. They cannot. They are natural.

They can make your gun ownership illegal and throw you in the rape tank. But I guess you will still have your rights, for whatever they are worth at that point.

[phill4paul]

Not buying it. You said it yourself - if people want these guys to stop carrying rifles openly, they need to make concealed carry legal. So it is not only a protest, it is a kind of extortionate threat. It is not making friends for gun owners.

Exercising one's rights =/= an extortionate threat.

[presence]

[presence]

I, by the way, never claimed a Constitutional right to wear a gun on private property.

I disagree. The owner of private property can ask you to leave but he has no right to insist you to disarm before doing so. Where I go my talons go. If I'm not welcome... fine but my talons come with me.

[William Tell]

Not buying it. You said it yourself - if people want these guys to stop carrying rifles openly, they need to make concealed carry legal. So it is not only a protest, it is a kind of extortionate threat. It is not making friends for gun owners.

How is it a threat to carry a rifle? We have a concealed carry license law, and it needs to be repealed and replaced with constitutional carry. As it stands, a long gun or antique/replica are the only sorts of weapons firearms which may be carried openly without running the risk of being arrested or fined. I have no intention of getting a CHL.

As I pointed out above, the open carry movement has made great strides.

[William Tell]

Yes, if Texas repeals the bad gun laws, people will probably not carry rifles openly as much as they do now. But we should be able to carry whatever we want without fear of getting arrested.

[phill4paul]

I disagree. The owner of private property can ask you to leave but he has no right to insist you to disarm before doing so. Where I go my talons go. If I'm not welcome... fine but my talons come with me.

Certainly. I never meant to imply otherwise. Conversely, an owner can be up front and say that he will not allow guns on his property before you enter. Thus saving you the time and effort of doing business with them.

However, an interesting point of conversation, if a property owner explicitly forbids firearms then why are L.E.O.'s exempt?

[Acala]

Exercising one's rights =/= an extortionate threat.

As always, there is a mixture of motives among individuals. But some of these guys have SAID, and the same has been implied in this thread, that they are intentionally trying to make people uncomfortable with their open rifle carry so that those scared people will support concealed carry so they won't be scared anymore. THAT is an extortionate intent. Trying to scare people so they will do what you want is a kind of extortion. Yes, they have a right to carry a rifle. That isn't even part of this discussion. My point is that the way they are using their right HURTS the cause of rolling back legal impairment of firearms carry and use. It is a bad idea.

[Acala]

But we should be able to carry whatever we want without fear of getting arrested.

That isn't the issue. We all agree on THAT. The issue is, are these people helping the cause or hurting the cause?

[William Tell]

That isn't the issue. We all agree on THAT. The issue is, are these people helping the cause or hurting the cause?

They have helped tremendously overall. Constitutional Carry was added as an amendment to the TX GOP platform this year. And a bunch of pro open carry candidates won elections. And even establishment Governor Greg Abbot said he will sign Constitutional Carry legislation now.