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"Invited" Open Carry on Private Property

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:43 pm
by mr surveyor
I think the open carry, by the owner / legal occupant, on private property has been well covered. I am curious about a different situation. I will use my own locale and normal circumstances (as well as those of most of my running buddy's) as example:

My property is outside the corporate city limits of "small town" Texas, and I am having a "gathering" for something like a crawfish boil .... no wait, it's Fall, so a Dove grilling. All of the invited guests are "o.k.'d" to carry their hand gun of choice, OWB and uncovered. For what it's worth, the neighbors would not care, if they even noticed. Would any of my guests be in violation of any laws by doing this?

Re: "Invited" Open Carry on Private Property

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:50 pm
by Charles L. Cotton
mr surveyor wrote:I think the open carry, by the owner / legal occupant, on private property has been well covered. I am curious about a different situation. I will use my own locale and normal circumstances (as well as those of most of my running buddy's) as example:

My property is outside the corporate city limits of "small town" Texas, and I am having a "gathering" for something like a crawfish boil .... no wait, it's Fall, so a Dove grilling. All of the invited guests are "o.k.'d" to carry their hand gun of choice, OWB and uncovered. For what it's worth, the neighbors would not care, if they even noticed. Would any of my guests be in violation of any laws by doing this?
Yes. A Dove grilling isn't an exception to the general prohibition in TPC §46.02. If your guests are not CHL's, then they would violate TPC §46.02. If they are CHL's, then they would violate TPC §46.035(a) by intentionally failing to conceal.

Chas.

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:05 pm
by frankie_the_yankee
Now if you invited them to engage in target shooting as part of the day's festivities I think they would be OK to carry openly, CHL or not.

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:45 pm
by mr surveyor
Thank you both! No arguments from me. :smile:

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:07 pm
by Renegade
TXI said it best, you cannot give them permission to carry, but you can give them control of your premises.

Re: "Invited" Open Carry on Private Property

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 6:45 am
by RPBrown
Charles L. Cotton wrote:
mr surveyor wrote:I think the open carry, by the owner / legal occupant, on private property has been well covered. I am curious about a different situation. I will use my own locale and normal circumstances (as well as those of most of my running buddy's) as example:

My property is outside the corporate city limits of "small town" Texas, and I am having a "gathering" for something like a crawfish boil .... no wait, it's Fall, so a Dove grilling. All of the invited guests are "o.k.'d" to carry their hand gun of choice, OWB and uncovered. For what it's worth, the neighbors would not care, if they even noticed. Would any of my guests be in violation of any laws by doing this?
Yes. A Dove grilling isn't an exception to the general prohibition in TPC §46.02. If your guests are not CHL's, then they would violate TPC §46.02. If they are CHL's, then they would violate TPC §46.035(a) by intentionally failing to conceal.

Chas.
Charles, although I agree with you, how do ranges that have IDPA get by with allowing open carry. Would this not fall under the same restrictions?

Re: "Invited" Open Carry on Private Property

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:33 am
by Lucky45
RPBrown wrote:Charles, although I agree with you, how do ranges that have IDPA get by with allowing open carry. Would this not fall under the same restrictions?
No. It would fall under this law.
PC §46.15. NONAPPLICABILITY.
(7)(b) *[as added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., HB 1815.] Section 46.02 (Unlawful Carrying Weapon) does not
apply to a person who:
(1) is in the actual discharge of official duties as a member of the
armed forces or state military forces as defined by Section 431.001,
Government Code, or as a guard employed by a penal institution;
(2) is traveling;
(3) is engaging in lawful hunting, fishing, or other sporting activity
on the immediate premises where the activity is conducted, or is en
route between the premises and the actor's residence or motor
vehicle, if the weapon is a type commonly used in the activity;
So you can carry open at any range.

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:17 am
by jrosto
This is Texas.

BBQ is considered a "sporting activity" in Texas.

A proper BBQ rig is "commonly used in the activity". So as long as you are not carrying some plastic gun, you are good to go :cool:

(hopefully everyone realizes that this is as it should be, not as it is)

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:25 pm
by casingpoint
It just says traveling and does not specify the mode of conveyance, so the exception to applicability could apply to travel by, say, motorboat, bicycle, skateboard, or bipedal motion, right?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 12:58 am
by KBCraig
casingpoint wrote:It just says traveling and does not specify the mode of conveyance, so the exception to applicability could apply to travel by, say, motorboat, bicycle, skateboard, or bipedal motion, right?
Reminds me of the (alleged) ruling by Roy Bean: "If he's standing still, he's not carrying. If he's moving, he's traveling. Dismissed!"

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:07 am
by Kalrog
KBCraig wrote:Reminds me of the (alleged) ruling by Roy Bean: "If he's standing still, he's not carrying. If he's moving, he's traveling. Dismissed!"
I like that!

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:18 am
by casingpoint
Anyone have the link to the new official definition of traveling in Texas?

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:24 am
by Renegade
casingpoint wrote:Anyone have the link to the new official definition of traveling in Texas?
There isn't one.

It is still undefined in the Penal code. What they did was change the UCW to not include certain carrying by non CHLs as offense. Here is a link to the bill:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLook ... ill=HB1815