Trip from IL to TX (moved from Legal)
- Thread starter CZ-75BD
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Old Dog
Member
Texas has permit less (Constitutional) carry. So do Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Of course, you should take a gun with you. You're driving through Free America. (I just made the drive from Chicago to Tucson, through IL, MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, 1746 miles, last month). Your last stop in IL should be the Route 66 Diner in Dwight, IL, by the way.
Armored farmer
Member
By all means you should carry. Texas is gun friendly.
You should see the stockyards at ft worth and visit the John Wayne collection there. The Riverwalk and Alamo in San Antone.
The oldest dance hall in Texas is in the quaint little town of Gruene under the watertower. 10 minutes off of I-35, I insist you stop there, it's one of my favorite hangouts. Shops and eateries all around the town. Go into Mosies for a Burger and their famous onion rings or get a steak at the Grist Mill.
You should see the stockyards at ft worth and visit the John Wayne collection there. The Riverwalk and Alamo in San Antone.
The oldest dance hall in Texas is in the quaint little town of Gruene under the watertower. 10 minutes off of I-35, I insist you stop there, it's one of my favorite hangouts. Shops and eateries all around the town. Go into Mosies for a Burger and their famous onion rings or get a steak at the Grist Mill.
Are there any "Legal" questions here? Or should this one go off to General Discussions?
CapnMac
Member
Uhm, that middle destination is about 6 hours' detour off to the eat and back. Perhaps Austin was meant?
Note, 30.05 signage prohibits permit-less carry; 30.06 signage prohibits concealed LTC carry; and 30.07 signage prohibits Open LTC Carry
And 51% signs, as well, need to be obeyed. The signs have to be on display at the entrances, and use at least 1" tall letters to be legit.
Not sure about MO, but OK is generally as "gun friendly" as TX.
Other than what signage to look for, and coping with MO/AR/OK law, it might be better in General.
Thank you,
Yes, I been advised about Astin from my concealed carry renewal courses last Saturday by our instructor.
Buzznrose
Member
Austin is okay, but issues with homeless so be careful. San Antonio can be sketchy in spots. DFW has their own issues.
Best places in Texas are outside the cities. If you are a wine or whiskey drinker, some excellent places making quality products. Dripping Springs and Fredricksburg areas near comes to mind.
The highways in San Antonio are killers. The 1604 loop is murderous. More risky than crime. See the Alamo and River Walk. Depending on your love of history, there are other sites. Two amusement parks - some decent Tex-Mex, BBQ but that's true of most of the state. Some nice gun ranges and stores - Durys was my favorite.
Armored farmer
Member
Its a nice trip out to Luchenbach. There's some wineries and LBJ home nearby. Maybe a little bit touristy.....but hey! It's Luchenbach, TX.
Waylon ?
Willie?
Get back to the basics!
We were in San Antone in early March. I recommend the guided boat tour of the Riverwalk. It was fun and interesting. Just a heads-up that the public restrooms are very scarce.
Waylon ?
Willie?
Get back to the basics!
We were in San Antone in early March. I recommend the guided boat tour of the Riverwalk. It was fun and interesting. Just a heads-up that the public restrooms are very scarce.
jmorris
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Never became a legal discussion, so moved to General.
I've traveled all over. The only time I don't take a gun along is if I'm passing through NY or NJ. If passing through Illinois, I'll stop in Kentucky or Missouri and disassemble the gun and make sure it is stored in an inaccessible spot until I'm out of the state.
I don't always carry it, but there is one in the vehicle or camper.
I live an hour north of Atlanta and have visited all of those places in TX. Stay out of sketchy parts of town and you're highly unlikely to need a gun. And all of the places you're traveling through are gun friendly.
I don't always carry it, but there is one in the vehicle or camper.
I live an hour north of Atlanta and have visited all of those places in TX. Stay out of sketchy parts of town and you're highly unlikely to need a gun. And all of the places you're traveling through are gun friendly.
I'm not sure you are driving through Kansas, but we are a gun-friendly state. I see open carry all the time and nobody blinks an eye. We are constitutional open and constitutional concealed carry. If you see the "no guns allowed" sign, which are relatively rare, that means that they can tell you to leave if they see a firearm. The sign carries no weight of law, unless you refuse to leave. Then they can have you forcibly removed and have you "trespassed".
Knife laws are similarly permissive. However, throwing stars and brass knuckles are a felony to possess. Go figure.
Knife laws are similarly permissive. However, throwing stars and brass knuckles are a felony to possess. Go figure.
CapnMac
Member
From a quick glance OK laws are complicated for out-of-staters, you probably need a stat issued LTC or some sort to be fully "legal."
Although most places in OK are very laid back.
Now, in Texas, you may see these signs where alcoholic beverages are sold:
Those are known as "blue" signs--as opposed to the "red" ones for "51%" venues. Those, technically, no longer apply to unlicensed carriers under our new 2021 permit-less carry law. Now, that does not mean that the people running the venue know that.
I know Arkansas just went to permit-less carry, but I do not know how that affects those from out of state. Perhaps our @Spats McGee can weigh in on that.
Mentioned above are a number of fascinating places to visit here in Texas. Please note that Six Flags, Se World, and all the Schliterbahns (but not all water parks per se et ley) are specifically "gun free." (For most of those the parking lots are a mess most of the time, and getting an Uber or Lyft to the venue is in your interest just for not having to search for parking in the Texas heat (and Summer is here--it's down to the 80s this w/e; but we're back to 90s next week).
You are likely to be on I-35 getting from DFW to Austin. You might want to stop in the town of West and get some kolaches ("koh Lah CHEE" a Czech pastry prized as a dessert or breakfast food*) About 40 minutes' later you'll hit Waco. Stop and visit the Texas Ranger Museum (east side of the highway just south of the Brazos River). There's a Fuego Grille in Waco just south of Baylor University, and it will have outstanding tacos.
Definitely take the Toll Road (130) when you get near Austin. If only to get a photo of the 85 MPH speed limit signs, but, mostly to get out of the Austin traffic as much as possible.
There's a very nice Best Western in Georgetown, if you have not chosen lodgings. But, if you want to be "near" downtown, there's a La Quinta at 12th & San Jacinto right off 35. It's 2 blocks from the Capitol and walking distance to Driskill Hotel, and 6th street. About 12-14 blocks south is the Congress Street bridge which has a colony of bats that come out at sunset. That used to be a touch sketchy for the "urban campers" preying upon the tourists, though.
Not quite an hour south of Austin is Gruene ("GREE nh") which is actually part of New Braunfels ("Noo brahn FELLS"--the locals call it "brawns fells"). This is perfect weather to hit up Rocking J and take a tube trip on the Guadalupe River. Or, to stop by the famous Gristmill for some classy chow. Gristmill is next door to Gruen Hall one of the oldest music venues in Texas.
San Antonio, as noted above is a unique place, and the traffic is a mess. The Downtown North Best Western is not a bad venue and is half the price of the BW on the Riverwalk. (The parking lot seems much nicer, too.) Uber can get you down to the Riverwalk. If you "do" downtown, definitely hit up historic Mi Tierra ("ME TEA er-ah") a Mexican restaurant that's near as lod as San Antonio. Afterwards, go to the bar at the historic Menger Hotel and get their mango ice cream to calm the spicy food down.
There's a rather nice gun range out in Helotes ("heh LOW tez") NW of San Antonio. Helotes is also home to Jon T Flore Coutry Store, yet another historic venue in the Texas music scene.
You will want to stop at Snow's in Lexington in your travel to or from, too. If you get there, early, on Saturday, they have smoked beef ribs. Probably a good idea to go to Texas Monthly's website and get the map for their Texas' Best Barbecue-- as you are talking about the core crown for BBQ in the state.
DFW to Austin is a stout four hours' drive (traffic permitting) down 35. San Antonio is another 2 hours' beyond Austin (traffic permitting). Breaking the trip up into hour or 90 minute segments can be helpful for sanity.
For scale:
DFW-San Antonio-Houston is known as the "Texas Triangle" and 75% of the 29 million people here live inside that triangle (DFW & Houston being near 50% of that total).
Insignificant bill
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Exactly as it should be here in TX. We need to get rid of enforceable signs. Businesses have always had the right to ask you to leave or be trespassed. Those signs make everyone less safe.
doubleh
Member
Far too many people for this south plains born Texan to enjoy it. We used to watch Walker, Texas Ranger. Me for laughs and my wife that is New Mexico born and raised and didn't catch a lot of the silliness. I used to laugh when Dallas based Walker decided to "run over to San Antone for lunch". It has been years since I have been anywhere in the triangle and don't plan to ever be there again.
CapnMac
Member
Well, it's Chuck Norris
He could probably jog the distance the rest of us would need 5+ hours to drive I actually made the mistake of thinking I could get over to Houston from San Antonio in around three hours. Only made that mistake the once.
Insignificant bill
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Nothing is close in our Great State.
CapnMac
Member
Other than what's right next door--I can see Grand Prairie from my hose, and it's only a couple of miles to east Fort Worth. (Gagh, this living in DFW is a hate-love-hate relationship).
Insignificant bill
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I live 20 miles north of Dallas
My apologies for the late response. I was out of pocket all weekend.
The Arkansas State Police page that discusses reciprocity is here. The key point is:
IOW, if you have a CC permit, you're good to go in AR. The legislature added some language to our "Carrying a Weapon" criminal statute with Act 746 of 2013 (I think it was), which added an "intent to use [the weapon in question] unlawfully against another person" as an element of a crime. I'm not convinced that the General Assembly intended to make us a permitless carry state back then, but that was the effect of Act 746. Subsequently, we've had at least one appellate opinion that said, "Merely possessing a weapon is not a crime in the State of Arkansas." Taff v. State, 2018 Ark. App. 488, 9, 562 S.W.3d 877, 882 (2018).
With all of that said, AR is a must inform state. ".... (b) The licensee shall: (1) Carry the license, or an electronic copy of the license in an acceptable electronic format, together with valid identification, at any time when the licensee is carrying a concealed handgun; and (2) Display both the license, or an electronic copy of the license in an acceptable electronic format, and proper identification upon demand by a law enforcement officer...." Ark. Code Ann. § 5-73-315 (West).
I've had a couple of encounters with police while carrying. My parents' alarm went off when they were out of town, I was a witness to an accident one time, and I got stopped for speeding a different time. Typically, I just hand them my CHCL and tell them "And yes, I'm carrying a pistol." Not one officer gave me any grief over it. I did have one tell me he'd "make me a deal." He said as long as I didn't touch my pistol, he wouldn't touch his. Seemed fair to me.
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As you reach Texas and need to fill up if you see a Buckee's those are great places for fuel, bathroom breaks and they sell pretty good bbq chopped brisket sandwiches. These are huge places and some have around 50 to 60 fuel pumps so you will be good and the bathrooms are clean. In San Antonio, besides what has been mentioned I would recommend a visit to the Pearl District area. Used to be where the Pearl Brewery was and now converted to a lot of great restaurants and bars about 26 places to eat and enjoy a beverage.https://atpearl.com/eat/
Mark_Mark
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can you open carry at Buckee’s?
