TX: Open Carriers Stop Armed Robbery?

There are two accounts recorded of the incident pictured above. One is from the eye witness who captured the video.  Audio is included with the video. On the audio, someone joins the videographer. The videographer explains what has happened. From the audio in the video:

He tried to knife em, and rob em, and we had two open carrys, and the open carrys took him down.

(snip)

And that is what an open carry state is all about.

Link to video

In Texas, one license is required for both concealed and open carry of modern handguns.  The Tyler Police Department had a somewhat different view of the event. From easttexasmatters.com:

According to a press release by the Tyler Police Department, 34-year-old Chad Boening approached a man and woman in the parking lot between FD’s Grill House and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Police say he brought out a knife and threatened the woman saying “do you want to see her die.”

Police say that a father and a son saw the incident from their vehicle and confronted the man. Both men brought out their concealed handguns to subdue Boening.

There is no mention of open carry in the police press release. Clearly, the handguns were out in the open when the police arrived.  If the Good Samaritans were in a vehicle when they witnessed the assault, their handguns would not have been visible.

I do not know what knowledge the videographer had of the participants, but clearly he considered them to be open carriers.

Unless we can identify the participants, it is unlikely that we can resolve whether the good Samaritans were openly carrying their handguns.  Clearly, they had licenses to carry.  In Texas, that means that both open and concealed carry are legal.

©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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