Texas police chief opposes open-carry laws, believing criminals will be ’emboldened’

There seems to be a common misconception among opponents of the Second Amendment that criminals obey the law.

Sure, this sounds silly on its face, but you can’t explain gun laws any other way.

Do school shooters obey the “gun free zone” laws that have been created in public spaces?  No.  Do bank robbers always obey the speed limit in their getaway cars?  Not likely.

Do gang members keep their concealed or open-carry permits up to date?  Not a chance, but one Houston police chief seems to think that they would be somehow “emboldened” by a loosening of these very restrictions.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo opposes a legislation allowing permitless carry for self defense on grounds that he believes it would “embolden” gang members.

His comments are in reference to legislation which would allow Texans to carry a handgun open or concealed without a permit for one week after a natural disaster is declared in the state. The Dallas Morning News reports that the legislation was passed by state lawmakers and is now sitting on Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk.

Wilder still – Texas currently has some of the most relaxed open-carry laws in the country.

Texas already allows the carry of long guns without a permit. This means a Texas resident not barred from gun possession can legally carry an a lever action rifle, an AR-15, a pump shotgun, etc., without any permit in places where firearms are no prohibited. But handgun owners are required to have a permit for open or concealed carry. State Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) is pushing for the week-long, post-natural disaster carry period for handguns so Texans under duress can carry a gun for protection, regardless of whether they have a permit.

We have to ask ourselves logically, not legally, whether or not a firearm-carrying criminal would even take the law into consideration at all, regardless of which way that law leans in his or her particular case.

The answer seems to be a resounding “no” most of the time, making this stance by Acevedo untenable.