(no subject)

[threeplusfire]

A comment from a friend about my post about Gov. Good Hair and his coyote shooting made me realize that my writing is never as clear as I wish it to be. I should have done a better job explaining that I found the article embarrassing for Texas due to the prevalence of the "open carry" movement that seems less about freedom and safety and more about threats. I found it ridiculous because we all know he isn't carrying a gun for snakes. Really if he said he was carrying it for the coyotes, which are indeed a regular problem in this part of the world, I would have been less annoyed with him. The gleeful way in which in the article laid out the gun, mentioned the sight and the bullets was somewhat embarrassing. Would this have been a story if it was any other state governor? Or just because the stereotype of Texas makes it so easy?

Comments

[egosumquisum.livejournal.com]

I agree that this story was entirely not newsworthy but only insofar that it IS Texas and it IS common for someone to carry a firearm and use it to dispatch a random coyote (which, BTW, are pests on the same order as pigeons, rats and cockroaches... they live primarily as parasites on human civilization and left their "natural" niche a long time ago).

People carry either concealed in public or openly on private property for a variety of reasons, primary of which is self defense. It doesn't matter if you are defending yourself or your property against a snake, a coyote, or a homo sapiens. One tends to want one tool to cover as many possibilities as possible. I don't know the nature of the land old helmet head was jogging on (public, private, rural, etc), but in many places I know of in Texas, people routinely carry firearms for the express purpose of dispatching unwanted varmints like snakes and coyotes... and many such people will dispatch said varmints with extreme prejudice upon sight much like Perry did.

Nothing Perry did was "overkill" or in any way exceptional to your average rural landowner in Texas. There are even some counties in Texas whose Cattlemen's Associations pay a bounty on every set of coyote ears brought to them. It is extremely common for small pocket pistols and revolvers used for self-defense to have a laser sight these days... in fact many come with them as a default factory option.

As I said, the story is entirely unremarkable apart from the fact that it involved a sitting governor who is doing his damnedest to win over the more libertarian/tea party side of the GOP who value second amendment rights very highly... and in that regard it was a "spun"/manufactured news event for Perry's benefit.