OT: How to know if you're shopping in Texas

That's a hoot!

Joe

Agreed!!!

Be careful... I live in Texas :)

You do? Then if you don't have a concealed handgun licenense (CHL), you're just a disaster wating for an event.

The license is easy to get. You have to be able to stand up, hear thunder, and see lightning. Although, truth be told, there is no requirement that you NOT be blind.

A CHL has other uses besides being able to carry a weapon:

a) You are exempt from the FBI background check when purchasing a weapon. Pick out a gun, put your money on the counter, leave. b) In those jurisdictions where CHLs are rare or non-existent (Illinois, California, New York, D.C., etc.), presenting your CHL when asked for a picture ID, such as at airport security or hotel check-in, you will be treated exceptionally well. The folks in those jurisdictions are used to CHLs being available only to the politically VERY WELL connected (i.e., the same-sex partner of the governor or mayor). c) Even locally, presenting a CHL - accompanied by a steely, make-my-day stare - tends to lubricate the attitude of officious clerks at Best Buy.

I accidentally presented my Carry permit instead of my (US) driver's license when entering a secure building in Canada. Because the event I was attending also had some Canadian Mucky-mucks, the entry point was manned by the usual security guards augmented by RCMP and Sureté du Quebec (Provincial Police). It led to an interesting conversation about concealed carry. The first question asked was what branch of police was I in or had served in. It took them a while to actually be able to grasp that I was just a citizen. They even had more trouble when I responded to them in (Canadian and not Euro) French.