A day in the life of an 'Open Carrier'
Second Amendment advocate Michael Cargill has a new addition to his familiar red wardrobe -- a holstered handgun.
Since Open Carry went into effect on Friday, Cargill said he hasn't had any negative feedback while carrying in public places.
"If I can't carry my gun in there and I'm a licensed holder, a law abiding citizen in the State of Texas, you know what? I'm not going to give you my money, you're not going to have my business," Cargill said.
On Monday morning, Cargill made a list of a few places to walk into packing heat -- basically a 'Day in the Life' of an open carrier.
"What I want to do is show how we can go about our day open carrying a handgun, it's really not going to be a big deal," he said.
First up: the State Capitol building. That's a place that's been friendly to concealed carriers, so what about open carry?
Cargill was able to get right in and carry openly in the same building where the legislation passed.
Next: a Cap Metro bus. Cargill got on and off just fine. He told the driver he was carrying openly.
We reached out to Cap Metro. They confirmed since they're a public organization, they're following state law, open carry is okay.
Cargill's next stop: the bank. Wells Fargo on Ben White.
He went in, made a transaction and made sure the employees knew he was carrying openly.
"Nothing about a policy, no one asked me to leave. No issues whatsoever," Cargill said.
But that particular Wells Fargo may not have gotten the "memo" yet.
Wells Fargo Corporate said in part "We ask that firearms not be brought into our stores. Because this is a bank, many of our customers and employees feel threatened by openly displayed firearms."
Wells Fargo added later that even though they don't want customers bringing in guns, employees won't approach customers about the issue.
"It's not required or suggested that managers or team members approach an individual with an unconcealed firearm," Wells Fargo told us in a separate statement.
The final stop of the day: ABIA
Airport officials tell us open carry is allowed in common areas like "ticketing." Just not through the security checkpoints.
While at the airport, we spoke with Dugie Graham about open carry.
"Open Carry makes me really nervous about who is able to buy guns, who is able to have guns," she said.
But she says she does realize in some of the recent shootings nationwide, gun-license holders might have made a difference.
"...if they could have stopped a shooter...and so I do see both sides of the issue," she said.
Graham didn't see Cargill with his holstered gun. She says if she had, she might have thought he was security.
"I might not have been alarmed, I might have assumed that," she said.
"They're in that tunnel vision. Taking care of their business and they just didn't notice that I was carrying a handgun," Cargill said.
Here are the full statements from both Capital Metro and Wells Fargo about their Open Carry policies:
CAPITAL METRO:
What is Cap Metro's Open Carry policy?
Under previous Texas law, concealed handguns could be carried by licensed riders on board Capital Metro's buses and trains, and at Capital Metro's stops and stations. Long guns, including rifles, were also already allowed in public spaces. Carrying a long gun does not require a license, although there are some restrictions (for example, a person cannot be a convicted felon).
Capital Metro is a public organization and so the agency and its contracted service providers will continue to follow Texas law, including the new Open Carry Law. This means that, as of January 1, 2016, individuals can obtain a license to openly carry a holstered handgun in the same places that previously allowed the licensed carrying of a concealed handgun, with some exceptions (see "Background" below). The Open Carry law states that unconcealed handguns, loaded or unloaded, must be carried in a shoulder or belt holster.
Background: Handguns may continue to be prohibited from being carried in some private places of business, as determined by business owners. Private businesses will post signs to indicate if entry on the property with a handgun by a license holder is forbidden. See Penal Code Sections 30.06 (concealed) and 30.07 (open carry) for more information. Posting of both signs is an indication by the business that license holders are forbidden to carry concealed or openly.
Is there anything licensed gun holders need to keep in mind when they're on the bus?
Capital Metro is working with local law enforcement and our contracted service providers on the implementation of the new Open Carry Law to ensure the continued delivery of safe service to our customers.
Our contracted service providers have delivered updated training to their employees so that employees know how to safely and legally respond to situations where a gun is present.
Bus and train operators have been trained to call the police and alert Capital Metro Security if a person brandishes a weapon, threatens another with a weapon or is carrying a visible handgun while visibly behaving in an unsafe way (intoxicated, asleep, volatile, etc.).
Background: A bus or train operator's primary responsibility is the safe operation of the vehicle. Only law enforcement officers are permitted to check for gun licenses.