Took the concealed course with my grandson today. I let him use the Kimber and I used My S&W mod 66 with 4 inch barrel. I just barely outscored him, with the HUGE advantage over him, I'd say he actually outshot me. Sorta like a lighter guy lifting the same weight as a heavier guy in weightlifting.
The open carry law has passed in Texas, but not effective until Jan 1, 2016. Gives me plenty of time to get the rhinestones set and the pink pearlies all shined up. One stat from the class is that just slightly over 3% of the Texas population has a concealed permit. Most people seem to view open carry as an invite for trouble and would prefer to continue carrying concealed. You must have the permit to carry. Guess they'll be changing the name from Concealed permit, to just permit??
I had mentioned I plan on carrying with an empty chamber. It is my total responsibility to make sure a kid does not get their hands on my gun. Sometimes the best laid plans----. To me, the extra steps to chamber a round, would reduce chances of an accident if there was a breach of those plans. This does not mean I'd be careless, because I have another safety feature, sorta like wearing a seat belt.