Libertas, they see constitutional carry with zero restrictions as the absolute right and consider our laws about getting training for a permit as a denial of rights.
I get the point they are trying to make, but I still agree with this one gun restriction. To carry in public spaces you should prove proficiency.
That church security guard didn't buy his first pistol last weekend. He was carry expert that saved a lot of lives.
With the point that constitutional carry proponents make I see two things worth mentioning.
First is the people are the militia the document says that they be well regulated. That's meaning training to an old military guy like myself. So I feel I have a position to legally debate from. I'm not arbitrarily declaring victory in that debate, but I feel I have enough logic to push the point.
The 2nd point made against my stance is the supposition that it is a defacto gun registration. But if carry permits are issued like car licenses then they aren't. Many people have drivers licenses and don't own a car. Nor can we just presume if so many have licenses. Ergo, we need a lot more carry permits issued. That's a big reason I propose it be taught in schools even before they can legally purchase a gun on their own. Lots of kids have cars but only adults can sign the buying papers. So let's get the teenagers into shooting training even before they can legally purchase a gun. They can use parent loaners or rentals. Then we suddenly have a lot of carry permits with no connection to actual ownership. Thus no backdoor gun registry.
Sure, the constitutional carry people can complain that in theory my stance is still unconstitutional. I'll take that burden and show them that it isn't so in actual practice. Every mature youth on up can have a bit of time under the loving care of a RSO. Everyone knows a RSO takes no crap for no reason. That should be a wakeup to teens used to liberal school teachers. An entire generation of youth that understands how to act like an adult around guns in public. Most won't even be gun owners yet. Any liberal hope to use the license list as an owners list is gone. Every year with the same only makes it more useless as an owner list. Those that choose later not to be a gun owner will at least be grounded in basic safety fundamentals. It instantly becomes a 2nd legal state ID for all that entails. Lots of things need two valid IDs. It becomes an alternate later as cities grow and fewer use cars as mass transit grows. No drivers license and want to buy beer? Present your gun training permit. Lots of people will keep up their permit requirements even if they don't own a gun. No one abandons a highly useful lifeline. Carry permit owners don't suffer the delays of background checks. A permit holder who never bought a gun knows they can go get one fast if life takes a bad turn. Neighbor acting crazy at you? Think you have a stalker? Boyfriend is a violent drunk deadbeat? A hundred bucks at a pawnshop for a used Hi-Point 9mm and you walk out the door with actual firepower. So what 25 year old nursing student simply throws that kind of freedom/security away by dumping their permit? Only the dense and virtue signalling types.
I'm ready to debate Texas pistol restrictions. No long gun buying rules are made by our state system, other than those found to be clinically crazy or are a felon. Pistols are different animals altogether and I believe mandating training to carry is fair. I also see ways to address backdoor registry concerns. Let's regulate our citizen militia so we are ready when the Feds eventually think total disarmament is a good thing. Let's show the nation that Texas has tens of millions of trained shooters on standby. Like all empires, America will splinter eventually. Texas must be ready to defend our place out of the ashes. The great Tejas Confederated Republic awaits. It will need defending.
