Wait 'til next year. 2011 Texas Legislative Session

[frazzled]

--On Soapbox--

Campus carry-

There is almost NO ONE actually armed on a campus, at a given time and place, as it is now. That certainly has repeatedly proven to be a disaster in each case of lunatic(s) attacking a schools.

Well actually, go to an urban college and that would be...staggeringly incorrect (just not legal).


I'll be frank. I'd not be especially concerned about UT Austin. If I were at UH or TSO on the other hand, oh yea. They may have changed but in ancient times when dinosaurs roamed the earth and Frazzled was getting his more gooder edumakation, the environs around them were "interesting" and you didn't need to see a horror movie for thrills, just travel the parking lot at night.

[chabouk]

4, prohibit establishing tolls on public roads

I'm all for toll rolls: buy the land, build the road, charge admission, and see if they will come.

If they won't, then that toll road is a failed model. It doesn't matter if it was built with tax money and the power of eminent domain, it will always be a failure. At least if it's a private venture, others will have the chance to buy the land and put it to better use; when it's a government road, taxpayers are on the hook forever.

[jordanmills]

Only at Sunday BBQ's!

I always open carry when I barbecue!

I don't have a bbq gun

It would be nice if we could carry where a LEO can carry.

Got to have something to keep the critters away from my tasty meats. Two or four legs, don't make no difference. My glock does the job though.

[CleverNickname]

I'd like to see something similar to this law that Tennesee has:

"39-17-1361. Execution of documents by sheriff or chief of police. —

The sheriff or chief of police of the city of residence of a person purchasing any firearm, defined by the National Firearms Act, 26 U.S.C. § 5845 et seq., shall execute within fifteen (15) business days of any request all documents required to be submitted by the purchaser if the purchaser is not prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to § 39-17-1316."

Yes I know that you can bypass the CLEO signature requirement with an LLC or trust, I've done it myself. However there's no reason for a CLEO not to sign other than they don't feel like it. As a temporary workaround, how much control does the Governor have over the DPS? DPS could sign, but they currently don't. Could the Governor direct the DPS to change their policy and sign, or would it be a more involved process?

[Douva]

I need a quick break from work, and this thread caught my attention, so I’ll contribute my $0.02.

1. Campus carry is my personal cause célèbre; however, I think a new approach is called for in the 2011 session.

2. The parking lot bill (allowing employees to keep guns in their cars without fear of reprisal from their employers) is definitely second on my list. This one should have passed a long time ago.

3. It’s not a gun law, but I’d like to see the Texas Legislature pass statewide preemption of municipal knife laws, nullifying San Antonio’s locking blade knife ban and other similarly stupid municipal regulations on knives.

4. I'd like to see polling places removed from the list of places where concealed carry is prohibited, at least during early voting. Is this seriously considered a problem? I'm tired of having to leave my gun in my car when I go to the grocery store during election season.

5. I agree with previous posters that the semiautomatic/revolver classification on CHLs is utterly pointless, and it would be nice if removing this distinction could be tacked on as an amendment to another gun bill.

Open carry would be nice, but because introducing it in a state that hasn’t had it in almost a century and a half could lead to unintended consequences (public/media backlash, increased 30.06 posting, opponents using the rewriting of Texas gun laws as a backdoor for gun control amendments, etc.), and because concealed carry largely satisfies the need to carry handguns for self defense, I’m not in favor of making open carry a priority.

It would also be nice if it were a little easier to obtain a CHL; however, I fear that loosening the training/testing requirements might hurt bills aimed at expanding the number of places where concealed carry is allowed, so I'm also not in favor of making the loosening of training/testing requirements a priority.

[TheArmedFarmer]

Get Alaska carry passed and all my arguments in favor of open carry are completely gone. It's definitely time for Alaska carry!

[ElGato]

I want to make failure to conceal a class C misdemeanor with a fine ( ticket ) and no other penalties, I think this is something that can be done and would be a good move in the right direction.
Little step's have worked for us, just keep moving forward.

[troglodyte]

Last session Campus Carry seemed to be a big hassle for very little improvement. There aren't that many CHL holders affected by Campus Carry.

While I'm sure our campus is not typical Campus Carry would affect 15% of our faculty and staff (about to be 20% in a month plus processing).

As and educator and parent I'm in support of Campus Carry.

[jonathan1173]

I'm an older university student and CHL holder so this is high priority for me! Lets bring the bill up again and not re-elect any politician who does not vote for this bill, thats my plan!

[RPB]

I want to make failure to conceal a class C misdemeanor with a fine ( ticket ) and no other penalties, I think this is something that can be done and would be a good move in the right direction.
Little step's have worked for us, just keep moving forward.

I want to add a word to your proposal ....."INTENTIONAL" failure to conceal ... (as opposed to wind blowing up my shirt)

Last session Campus Carry seemed to be a big hassle for very little improvement. There aren't that many CHL holders affected by Campus Carry.

While I'm sure our campus is not typical Campus Carry would affect 15% of our faculty and staff (about to be 20% in a month plus processing).

As and educator and parent I'm in support of Campus Carry.

I really worry that the LACK of campus carry might affect a great number more people one day. (Like what would have occurred if the CHL had not stopped that Houston bus hijacking etc.)

------

I'd like to see that felony in the Education code for "threatening to display/displaying etc" reduced or eliminated.
I mean there was an incident last year where a guy across the street (not on school property?) had a rifle and was firing at people on school property ... if I'm picking up my niece from school and I'm in the parking lot, I have to run across the parking lot and off school property while he takes potshots, in order to try to stop him shooting at kids in the parking lot/playground?
AFTER getting OFF the school property, I could yell, (to cause him enough alarm to stop shooting at the kids)
"STOP SHOOTING AT THE KIDS OR I'LL DRAW MY GUN".... but it's a felony to say that on the parking lot?

Texas Education Code Section 37.125 - Exhibition Of Firearms
Sec. 37.125. EXHIBITION OF FIREARMS. (a) A person commits an offense if, in a manner intended to cause alarm or personal injury to another person or to damage school property, the person intentionally exhibits, uses, or threatens to exhibit or use a firearm:
(1) in or on any property, including a parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area, that is owned by a private or public school; or
(2) on a school bus being used to transport children to or from school-sponsored activities of a private or public school.
(b) An offense under this section is a third degree felony.
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/D ... /ED.37.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good thing the bus that was being hijacked that the CHL stopped the hijacking wasn't a SCHOOL bus, else the CHL could be charged with a felony for helping save the kids. .... That would be cause for hesitation in saving the children.

[sf340b]

Parking lot bill

I like the wording change to "intentional" above

AZ style immigration reform-that ought to stir the pot

Oh yea, I almost forgot. A Republican form of government. That would be nice.

[baldeagle]

Campus carry - otherwise I can not carry 80% of the time I'm awake.
Parking lot bill - an incredibly stupid situation - I can carry but I can't even leave my gun locked in a safe in my car when I come on your property? It's just another form of gun control.
English the official language of Texas - because it is.
Illegal immigration enforcement

[jgedmond]

parking lot bill, I work for a living and would like the chance to be able to keep living if I need to defend myself on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday between 6am and 6pm

[canvasbck]

parking lot bill, I work for a living and would like the chance to be able to keep living if I need to defend myself on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday between 6am and 6pm

Same here, nothing says victim like someone walking away from an ATM at 0500 wearing FRC's.

[baldeagle]

I would like to see an amendment to Texas Penal Code §46.035 Section h. The law presently reads, "It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) that the actor, at the time of the commission of the offense, displayed the handgun under circumstances in which the actor would have been justified in the use of deadly force under Chapter 9."

However, TPC §9.04 reads THREATS AS JUSTIFIABLE FORCE. The threat of force is justified when the use of force is justified by this chapter. For purposes of this section, a threat to cause death or serious bodily injury by the production of a weapon or otherwise, as long as the actor's purpose is limited to creating an apprehension that he will use deadly force if necessary, does not constitute the use of deadly force."

These two sections are in conflict. I would like to suggest amending §46.05 Section h as follows: "It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) that the actor, at the time of the commission of the offense, displayed the handgun under circumstances in which the actor would have been justified in the use of deadly force OR THE THREAT OF THE USE OF DEADLY FORCE under Chapter 9."