Just shoot me

Am I high? Apparently the ACLU is teaming up with the NRA to spotlight nasty Texas law enforcement types for arresting people with unliscenced firearms in their vehicles. Guh?

Even as a native Texan I am amazed by some of the wacky laws. While it makes perfect sense (to me at least) that carrying an unliscenced gun is a bad thing - especially in a car - you can do this in Tejas if you are "traveling". This outdated code is based on the dangers of traveling long distances when there were many a street bandit. Now I lived in Texas for quite a few years and never had to deal with roving banditos holding up my covered wagon as I made the long journey from El Paso to Amarillo. The way I have seen it is that people love their guns and will do anything to keep them in their hands...at all times....unliscenced or not. I can't really think of serious dangers in the suburbs of Houston as you travel from your home to the grocery store that would constitute the need for a gun in your vehicle as self defense. I can see how police officers would be a bit concerned if someone is carrying an unliscenced firearm in their car, however. Maybe I'm just crazy.

I may be biased by my past experiences. I used to work on a ranch which means that many of my coworkers were full fledged gun nuts. We're talking people who go "varmint" hunting in the middle of the night with campers ranging from ages 9-15. If anyone is not familiar with varmint hunting (ah I remember the days when I wasn't) you ride around in a truck in the middle of the night, stop, flash your brights and flashlights, find all the little nocturnal animals, and shoot away. I also remember going to an open bar at the same ranch where some guy came in toward the end of the night brandishing his new gun. He opened the case and started passing it around. I think it was loaded. We were all plastered. I sort of feared for my life, but was far more taken with the absurdity of the situation. This is the kind of responsibility people take with their firearms.

One of the most interesting things I saw in the NY Times article was how the NRA was trying to combat racial profiling.... against rednecks. I think the term is "Bubba profile". So basically this is protection of white dudes with mullets. I am sure they get far more profiling when found with unliscenced guns in their cars than other demographics. Whatevs. Texans are crazy, dude.