Texas-born comedian Ron White has used the phrase: "You can't fix stupid" in his act for years. It's the title of one of his comedy albums.
It's also a good description of some of our fellow Texans: the Tarrant Country Open Carry group. Not only do they seem to be unable to learn from others' mistakes; they don't even learn from their own: the demonstration at Chipotle is not their first public spectacle; they had previously upset patrons and staff at a Wendy's and a Jack-in-the Box.
One would have thought that anyone supportive of open carry in Texas would have taken a lesson from another open carry group, this one in San Antonio, that finally pushed Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, who had steadfastly refused to become involved in gun politics, to ask that patrons refrain from bringing guns into the chain's coffee shops. This happened in 2013 and received a lot of coverage.
It's a sad commentary that there apparently not even a single member in either of these two groups with enough sense to realize these tactics are, to put it mildly, counterproductive.
Open Carry Texas is pushing for legislation that will finally repeal a Jim Crow law that dates back to the Reconstruction Era when the Texas Legislature passed the Act of April 12, 1871, stating that: "Any person carrying on or about his person, saddle, or in his saddle-bags, any pistol, dirk, dagger, sling-shot, sword-cane, spear, brass knuckles, bowie knife, or any other kind of knife...shall be guilty of a misdemeanor."
Open carry simply means carrying a firearm without concealing it. It is legal in some form in about 30 states in America. About 12 of those states do not require a permit to open carry.
Why open carry? Not really so much to march down the middle of Main Street packing a hogleg like some refugee from a B Western; that's something seldom seen even in states that allow it. It's more to allow citizens engaged in fishing, hiking, camping and such to carry a handgun in a holster while enjoying their activities. A revolver loaded with snake shot can be a handy thing to have in many parts of Texas, but it can be more than just embarrassing if you have dig it out.
While carrying a handgun in any fashion was illegal in Texas until 1995, when legislation allowing the state to issue concealed handgun licenses went into effect, the same is not true of rifles and shotguns. In fact, other than certain hunting laws, and general prohibitions of firearms, such as in schools, places where alcoholic beverages are "sold, served or consumed," courts and a few other places, there are no legal restrictions on where one can carry a long gun, including into the state capitol.
Where the Tarrant and Bexar County groups went off the tracks, and the deep end, is the belief that one must openly carry a weapon to demonstrate in favor of open carry. Their reasoning, such as it was, was that since open carrying of a handgun is illegal, one must carry a rifle or shotgun so the public will understand what the demonstration is about.
Well, no, a band of slobs toting AR-style rifles doesn't make anyone think of reforming laws governing the carrying of a handgun. It makes people afraid.
Perhaps signs, T-shirts and other displays didn't occur to the Tarrant Country brain trust.
Furthermore, instead of demonstrating in a public venue, such as a county courthouse, town square or the state capitol in Austin, these groups have decided that only retail businesses, such as restaurants, are the appropriate place to make a statement.
If the statement is "We're morons!" their assessment has been quite accurate.
Ironically, the strategies of the Open Carry groups in Texas were at least partially inspired by Open Carry groups in California that were trying to get another racially motivated law repealed.
Up until 1967, it was legal to openly carry a loaded handgun in California, subject to certain restrictions. That year, the Black Panthers, protesting police brutality in Los Angeles and other cities, entered the California Assembly carrying loaded guns, which was legal.
The group's message was that, if the California Legislature couldn't, or wouldn't, rein in police excesses, the black community would have to create its own armed law enforcement body.
Don Mulford, a conservative white legislator from the San Francisco area, was among those who got their shorts in a knot over blacks with guns, though the Panthers never actually threatened or pointed a gun at anyone. He wrote the Mulford Act of 1967, which was signed into law by Ronald Reagan. The new law prohibited the open carrying of a loaded firearm but permitted the carrying of an unloaded firearm, even if the carrier had a loaded magazine in their pocket.
Fast forward to the 21st Century, when a group of California activists began openly carrying their unloaded handguns. They faced a very hostile reception, including some instances of brutal treatment and death threats from police, but they persisted.
They began congregating at Starbucks, one of the few establishments that would allow them to enter and be served. Anti-gun groups were enraged when Starbucks refused to stop serving them, saying it was not going to get involved in state politics. There were calls for a boycott of Starbucks on one side and calls to patronize Starbucks more frequently on the other.
Once again, while no participant in these demonstrations ever threatened anyone or drew their gun from its holster other than to allow inspection by police, as required by law, hysteria ruled the day and the California Assembly outlawed the open carrying of unloaded weapons, too.
I believe it was the California movement that inspired the mentally challenged groups in Texas. The Texas groups didn't consider the huge difference between carrying a relatively small handgun in a holster and never touching it and trooping in with a gang armed with military-style rifles that are are carried in the hands, even if that's all that the law allows.
Equally stupid was the Tarrant County group's refusal to alert police of their plans in advance. No, the law does not require them to do that, but even the most basic glimmering of intelligence does.
What's especially dumb about failing to notify police is that fact that cops in Texas are generally very supportive of gun rights.
Open Carry Texas, if it hopes to have a fair hearing on its goals, is going to have to come up with strategies to inform the public in a non-threatening manner that attracts support rather than scaring it away.
You don't have to be armed while you demonstrate for gun rights any more than you have to be gay while you demonstrate for LGBT rights.