TexasCHLforum.com

shootthesheet wrote:The TX legislature doesn't trust us to maintain control when excited. Not in schools or bars or sporting events as written. I can personally say I have never, ever wanted to pull a gun and shoot someone because of a game or because a teacher didn't treat my child right. It is ignorant.

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Kalrog wrote:

txinvestigator wrote:

barres wrote:

Photoman wrote:Why should a law abiding citizen with a CHL not be allowed to carry in a courtroom?

For the same reason he/she should not be allowed to carry in a prison. Should he become incapacitated for any reason, his weapon would be available to all sorts of people who society would rather not have access to weapons. Courtrooms are frequently visited by felons or soon-to-be-felons.

No, it is because courtrooms are often charged with emotion, and people's lives are often changed dramatically in courtrooms. After several high profile shootings by people subject to the orders of the courts (mostly civil courts) these laws were passed.

So we CHL holders automatically become unable to control ourselves emotionally when we are in a courtroom? Sorry, that argument doesn't work when you are talking about college campuses any better than it does in a court room.

Maybe if you were CHARGED with something and in a court room, but then you probably couldn't carry because of what you were charged with.

I didn't say that. I said that is why the laws were passed. I don't agree with them. And people being charged with crimes, traditionally, have not been the shooters. They have been those is civil courts. Usually men in divorce/child custody proceedings, at least that I recall.

barres wrote:

Photoman wrote:Why should a law abiding citizen with a CHL not be allowed to carry in a courtroom?

For the same reason he/she should not be allowed to carry in a prison. Should he become incapacitated for any reason, his weapon would be available to all sorts of people who society would rather not have access to weapons. Courtrooms are frequently visited by felons or soon-to-be-felons.

No, it is because courtrooms are often charged with emotion, and people's lives are often changed dramatically in courtrooms. After several high profile shootings by people subject to the orders of the courts (mostly civil courts) these laws were passed.

Texas Penal Code
§ 46.03. Places Weapons Prohibited.

Statute text
(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm, illegal knife, club, or prohibited weapon listed in Section 46.05(a):
(3) on the premises of any government court or offices utilized by the court, unless pursuant to written regulations or written authorization of the court;

(3) "Premises" means a building or a portion of a building.

At most larger county courthouses all entrances are security controlled by metal detectors, so I assume your county does not?

I would think that since the courts are there, and it is a COURThouse, carry is prohibited under the CHL.

Some will argue that since the law also mentions "portions of a building" that you are only prohibited from carrying in the 'court" portions. I disagree with that.

In some areas, for example, a court might be housed in a strip center with other government offices. In that case, you can carry into the tax office, but not the court. (I have seen this in several JP courts)

That said, I an unaware of any case law that would specify the requirements of the difference between "a building or portion of a building".