Are you fucking kidding me?! http://www.politicususa.com/2014/07/15/open-carry-texas-schedules-date-armed-march-black-neighborhood.html Open Carry Texas, a gun rights advocacy group, announced that they have scheduled their march through the Fifth Ward in Houston. The march, which was initially scheduled for Juneteenth but postponed at the last minute, will feature open-carry enthusiasts marching through the streets of the predominantly black Houston neighborhood carrying long assault rifles. The group has gained notoriety in recent months due to their publicity stunts which have featured members entering restaurants and stores with their assault rifles on full display. Apparently, the group has decided to up their game. CJ Grisham, the founder of Open Carry Texas, decided to address the criticism his group has encountered regarding this planned march. When the march was first scheduled, Grisham and the group came under intense criticism for a variety of reasons. Even after OCT postponed the march, the group was under fire due to the appearance of racial insensitivity. OCT posted the following late Monday evening on the group’s website: “We are not going to be marching through 5th Ward,” said OCT Founder CJ Grisham, “we’re going to hopefully be marching with 5th Ward.” Open Carry Texas believes that Texas’ gun laws continue to be rooted in racism. In order to obtain a concealed handgun license in Texas, one needs to shell out over $250 in fees and requirements to do so. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate in Texas was 14.4% in 2010, the date of the last census. In the African-American community, the poverty rate was 27.1%, nearly twice the state poverty rate and almost three times higher than non-Hispanic whites. In other words, the extreme cost to obtain a license in Texas – over $250 – disproportionately prevents African-Americans from getting one. Texas law prevents anyone convicted of a Class B misdemeanor or higher from qualifying for a concealed handgun license for at least five years. The convictions do not need to be related to violence or even involve a gun. Some examples of “crimes” that will cause you to lose your CHL or fail to qualify for one are littering, writing a hot check, or even certain traffic infractions not involving another person. … Much like the Jim Crow laws of the past, Texas gun laws seem geared towards preventing the minority community from exercising their rights. We aim to change that. Open Carry Texas also announced that they’ll have a real-life black person marching with them, Maurice Muhammad. As Liberaland pointed out, Muhammad is a radical who promotes the killing of police officers on his Facebook page. He also is apparently the leader of a group that openly wishes for a race war. Liberaland also pointed out that OCT’s blog entry is more about Grisham’s own issues with the law than his concerns about the black community. While he talks a big game about unfair laws regarding gun ownership, and he positions himself as some kind of civil rights fighter, the reality is that he himself has a conviction on his record and cannot apply for a conceal-carry license. Which is likely the reason he started this group in the first place. Anyway, these gun nuts plan on marching through the Fifth Ward on August 16th. Once again, like they claimed last time, this is only supposed to be a peaceful demonstration as well as a charitable action. They just want to educate the residents of the area. They positively, absolutely do not want anything unseemly or ugly to occur. Nuh-uh. No way. And this time, no one can claim it is all just a bunch of white guys marching through a black neighborhood carrying a bunch of guns. Because they got a black guy with them. It is totally cool now.
Armed, white conservatives in a majority black neighborhood? What could possible go wrong! Somewhere in all of this there's a joke about penis envy but my brain isn't sharp enough to make it right now.
Some ol' KKK bullshit dressed up for 21st century. How many Black folk do you know desperate for a CONCEALED CARRY license?? The sane people in Texas need to get their shit together. This is an unnecessary provocation by some right-wing psychos secretly hoping they get to test the SYG laws in that state. Imagine 5 Black men approach this armed mob walking through the 5th Ward. These neo-confederates/tea baggers/pro gun rights activists could legally blast every single one of them under the legal protection they believed their lives were in jeopardy. If Black folk in any significant numbers applied for concealed carry licenses, you know that law would be repealed. So much shit in this country is going backwards. I'm really starting to believe this entire gun rights debate is a dick thing for some men.:smt071 Much of the 5th Ward is the 'hood but carrying firearms makes some dudes feel like MEN when otherwise they couldn't pretend to be. I never realized how many men must feel powerless and impotent in modern American society.
If this isn't deliberately provocative and illustrative of where many in that movement's heads are at, I don't know what is.
"An Armed society is a kinder society." Robert A. Heinlein "I come from a tough neighborhood. You can get a lot farther with a gun and a kind word than you can with a kind word." Al Capone( The Untouchables) "There's nothing wrong with a little shooting as long as the right people get shot." Inspector Harry Callahan(Dirty Harry) I think there is something rotten in the Lone Star State. Open carry of firearms there or anywhere else is an invitation to trouble. Sure, one who carries says that they are armed and ready to use their gun at the sign of trouble, but what do the people around the armed person think? Law enforcement officer? Military? Survivalist? Anarchist? There's no telling. This is not the 19thcentury where a firearm was necessary for self protection and the hunting of food was necessary in the wilderness. If these people are that sincere about involving the 5th Ward to their cause, they would have to do more than march, they would have to do the same activities with those people that they do amongst themselves(gun shows, shooting range gatherings, barbeques, training and education, etc). I don't think that is the true motive of this march. It is a show of intimidation, plain and simple.
None of those folks are not going to have the professional cool, calm and conscientious demeanor of Sheriff John Bunnell or Deputy Chief Steven Seagal. They're going to walk in say, "Howdy, y'all", while armed to the teeth with assault rifles, shotguns and handguns. These are just plain folk who love and defend the 2nd Amendment. Can you imagine them doing that while the song The Eyes Of Texas Are Upon You is playing? Can you imagine them walking past a playground or a street full of kids? It sends a very ominous message.
I agree it's all about intimidation, and if that's your objective as a gun owner, you shouldn't have one. The only people IMO who need to keep their firearms concealed are James Bond, drug dealers and undercover narcs. The average joe has no real reason to walk around with a gun hidden on his person.
These folks are obviously up to no good, but in another part of the country these would be the same people smiling in your face everyday while offering you coffee and doughnuts. At least we know what we are dealing with in the south.
well blacks need to start getting concealed weapon permits or even start with open carry....due to the george zimmermans (gz) running around. fools in texas carrying rifles into fast food joints and clothing stores....stupid mofos.
Just asking for trouble. I don't understand why people have to deliberately try to rile others up. I don't care what excuse this group disguises their true intentions, reaks of BS to me.
Unarmed combat is also in the order, too. Krav Maga will definitely help in that regard. And knife fighting, archery and other survival skillsets.