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DoctorWho
Senior MemberPosts: 9,496 Senior Member
Printing & concealed carry, views, experiences

I hear what has been alleged in relation to concealed carry and printing, however ussually mentioned in passing with no facts offered.
My question is this; does anyone know of an actual law that describes printing while CCW as a violation of law and a penalty?
Has anyone been questioned or stopped for printing?
I know if you are fat & dumpy like Me and wear baggy clothes, no one gives a scabby elephant butt like Me a second glance, I suppose if you are thin and svelte and wear finkarelli fashion grape skin tight jeans, a lil print and everyone knows you are packing.
What say those who EDC? while I belive better not to print, I feel it is also lotta hype,in all the years I have carried, I have never been grilled for printing even showing.
My question is this; does anyone know of an actual law that describes printing while CCW as a violation of law and a penalty?
Has anyone been questioned or stopped for printing?
I know if you are fat & dumpy like Me and wear baggy clothes, no one gives a scabby elephant butt like Me a second glance, I suppose if you are thin and svelte and wear finkarelli fashion grape skin tight jeans, a lil print and everyone knows you are packing.
What say those who EDC? while I belive better not to print, I feel it is also lotta hype,in all the years I have carried, I have never been grilled for printing even showing.
"There is some evil in all of us, Doctor, even you, the Valeyard is an amalgamation of the darker sides of your nature, somewhere between your twelfth and final incarnation, and I may say, you do not improve with age. Founding member of the G&A forum since 1996
Replies
I agree with this, when I first started I was very careful and paranoid. Now I really don't give it much thought.
you tube:
Portland Police, Open Carry AR-15
:that:
I play a little game whenever I'm in town and try to figure out who is carrying and where they are carrying it. I have made several but would never say anything.
As others have said when I first got my CCW I was positive that everyone was watching me but soon realized that nobody noticed or even cared.
Now most of the time I don't even think about it and even forget that I'm carrying until something reminds me.
-96 lbs
AKA: Former Founding Member
Jerry
D
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.... now who's bringing the hot wings? :jester:
The slab sided semis disappear IWB, But I've been carrying an N frame OWB since last February or so with no problems that I'm aware of. Except that the weight is becoming a factor and I don't like sweating it out like that H&R laying in pieces on your bench.
Re. actual law, in Tx "printing" is defined as concealment such that "reasonable" concealment is all that's needed. That is, from an "average" person in normal everyday to and fro, and not a harder sharper view from, say, a trained LEO.
And the law here stipulates that you're not doing the felony thing if you accidentally reveal the weapon, just that you may be asked to leave a premises. So the Tx law is pretty reasonable.
Re. concealment, I'm simply not gonna wear baggy clothes again after losing 80-100 pounds and I'm not wearing slimjim stuff but in the normally hot Houston days, No coats or overwear, just jeans and t-shirt 99% of the time.
So.... yeah, if the gun is larger than a pocket rocket, I would "print" but that's my choice. I could wear baggier clothes and conceal a larger gun, true. And much as I love the 1911 it's too large for my now small frame (remember, I'm only 5-5 or 5-6 and a shorter person simply doesn't have the body mass to conceal a "longer" pistol.
So I generally pocket carry my .357 snubbie and when that insurance check comes in, I'm looking for the slimmest and smallest .45acp I can find.
Or I may choose to semi-open carry w. that flat holster "sneaky pete" thing. I dunno.
Anyway... here in Tx all the years I've been carrying (even, ahem, before the CHL law) I've NEVER been "caught" carrying by a LEO or ordinary citizen or anybody else.
Here they use the "51% rule" -- that a business w. 50+ percent revenue in booze (taverns, bars, nightclubs, etc) you cannot CHL and it's a class 3 (lowest) felony. So you can legally carry in, say, a restaurant that sells booze, even in an attached bar of that restaurant, just as long as the bar is part of the overall biz.
What pesters me is that I love to hear local and small tour music groups, mostly blues/rock, and they play at bars and clubs. And leaving the bar at 1am and heading to your car is when you're most vulnerable.
I guess I could wall myself up in my home fortress (built from an abandoned missile silo) and stay growling in my man-cave, holding my AR in my hands, ready to fire at the slightest shadow (evil zombie ninjas!) but ****!! I want to hear live music!
So I venture occasionally to night clubs / bars that have good local bands, and though I don't drink much these days (2 beer an evening is max) and I'll be stone sober at 1am when I go to my car, I am vulnerable because the law won't let me carry in a bar.
And of course I would NEVER carry my teeny KelTec P3AT .380 in my pocket anyway.
But that's thread drift. Back to the subject, Texas law is pretty "reasonable" about printing.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
There is a difference between what you recently read and what was recently legislated.
Accidentally exposing a CCW has been legally excusable for a long, long time here in FL.
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:buff2: :applause: :jester:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I don't know the Fl law but I do know that the Tx CHL law was originally based on the FL statute and we've always had the "reasonable" concealment clause, so I'm betting that the FL law is the same. Of course a recent change may have lightened the clause a bit more, too.
Any specifics? Thanks.
I just KNEW someone would make that comment but I thought it would be cpj. Ya coulda fooled me, dude. ha ha
:buff2: :yikes: :fan: :rotflmao:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
I don't pretend to understand all the animation but you know I was just kidding, buddy.
There seems to be a trend in concealed carry in both Washington & Oregano, according to unscientific polls in Oregon, one out of sixteen people have permits to carry, likely not all of them carry.
The Portland Police bureau seem well adjusted to the concept of concealed carry and firearms in general, even treating the open carry knuckle draggers fairly.
If your CCW gun, holster, rig, whatever, is of such a nature that you cannot be assured of its complete discretion within your customary wardrobe, whether you are standing, sitting, bending, twisting, reaching, stretching, lifting, walking, running, whatever, then, and regardless of any of its other virtues, either you bought the wrong gun or Mommy has to stop dressing you funny.
Even in Gun Friendly Texas you have to be careful because not all LEOs are 2A people and some who otherwise might be are looking for any excuse to make their mark. So it's best to use discretion and not take chances. If, like has been mentioned you do let your shirt ride up a little farther than you want and you flash somebody with your carry piece, mostly you're going to be fine. But there's always that one time where maybe some anti might see it and the local cop is not in tune with our view of 2A, and there's all manner of ways for them to twist any law to make you look guilty. Their charges might not hold up in court, but it can sure cost you money in legal fees and time that it's prudent to be a little on the conservative side. Besides, like has been hashed over on this forum, I don't want anyone to know I'm carrying. I want surprise on my side.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
The only incompetence here is your lack of understanding of concealed carry.
Of course Sam, so was I. I just couldn't resist. The way it was worded left it wide open to such comments, :jester:
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.