Tuesday, June 20, 2017

God Bless Texas: Lone Star State legalizes open carry of massive knives   By D.E 

Photo credit: Flicker, KAZ
Vopal
The Bowie knife is synonymous with Texas.  The massive blade, which Jim Bowie carried at the Alamo, has even been proposed by lawmakers as an official state symbol.
“The bowie signifies a spirit of individualism, aggression, and resourcefulness, of adventure and an inflamed sense of honor that is part of the idea of Texas,” Texas Monthly magazine wrote in 1988. “In the fierce blade of the bowie knife is a souvenir of the merging of civilized society with the wild frontier and of the westward march of history that drew many of us here in the first place.”
But it was illegal for Texans to actually carry one, until now. 
Gov. Greg Abbot last week signed legislation repealing an 1871 ban on carrying blades over 5.5 inches, unless they are part of a ceremony or historical reenactment.
The bill, HB 1935, overturns the ban on “Bowie knives, daggers, dirks, stilettos, poniards, swords, and spears,” but maintains prohibitions on carry in schools, correctional facilities, bars and places of worship, or by those under 18 years of age.
Even Texas Democrats supported knife carry, with the bill passing the State House 131-1 and the State Senate 30-1.
“It has been a shame that for so long Texans have been unable to carry a knife bearing the name of one of the defenders of the Alamo. The Texas legislature has restored a small part of our state pride,” said gun rights activist CJ Grishman of Open Carry Texas.
While the rest of the world goes down the tubes, Texas just keeps getting freer.
Or, as David Crockett put it, “You may all go to Hell. I’ll go to Texas.”

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