NC is open carry. But each Township and city have their own ordinances.
Were Texans not allowed to open carry out in the counties ?
Do the cities and towns in TX not have their own ordinances?
One of the purposes of the new State Laws in Texas are to clarify many of these issues.
City and County Law cannot supersede State Law. The State has issued a list of the places where a person is prohibited from carrying, either concealed or open.
The gray area was in the private realm. The State now defines exactly the requirements that a private business, (restaurants, hotels, etc), to inform citizens of their desire not to have firearms in their establishment.
Basically, the business or other private entity must display a very specific sign, in very specific size and writing, that says, in affect, "no weapons allow". This sign is commonly called a 30.06 sign, stemming from the State regulation that requires it.
The important thing is the decriminalize of most "mistakes" made by those who are carrying. In past, (I can personally attest to this), the penalties could be quite severe for a person with a CHL to "accidentally" have the weapon exposed. The State has adopted, through Law, a more common sense approach now.
For instance, if a person does enter a place of business with a improperly displayed 30.06 sign, with a weapon, a simple request to leave can be sufficient to remedy the situation, as the person carrying has not violated any Law.
However, if a business or other private entity DOES have a properly formatted 30.06 sign, a person can be charged with a Class A Misdomeanor if he or she does enter that place armed. In Texas, a Class A Misomeanor is a very serious charge.
Here is a good link on explaining the 30.06 Statute.
http://www.2swordsprotection.com/faq.html