TexasCHLforum.com

The thing with business parking lots is that they are private property that is publicly accessible so they can be posted. If the parking lot was public property (Owned or leased by some political subdivision of Texas) then the signs would be invalid.

The idea of the parking lot bill would allow employees who carry to store the weapon in their vehicle. I have no idea how the bill address the 30.06 aspect but I assume it is dealt with in a fair manner. Some times private property rights are over ridden when it is in the best interest of society. For example a business can not limit access to people based on skin color or religious preference. An employer can not require you to vote for a specific candidate in order to retain your employment. An employer can however require you to meet a dress code that prohibits religious or political expression and prohibit you from exercising your first amendment rights while at work. An employer should not be able to terminate you because you carry a firearm to and from work, yet they will still be able to terminate you for carrying while at work should you do so.

jester wrote:

canvasbck wrote:Why on earth do we have laws that allow everyone without a criminal history to protect themselves as long as they are not heading to/from work?

I just got home from work and carried to/from work without incident. Completely legal.

An employer can prohibit having a weapon in your vehicle while it is at work. The penalty can be up to and including termination of your employment if they have not given you notice under 30.06. If they have given effective notice under 30.06 then you it gets even worse. The goal of the parking lot bill is to allow people to store their weapons in their vehicles while their employers prohibit carry. The reason people can not defend themselves to and from work without it is because they have no storage solution while they are at work.

03Lightningrocks wrote: I actually agree with everything in the post but believe these are the two main points the OC fanatic crowd fail to grasp. They seem to think by hurling insults at the folks most likely to take their side is somehow going to help them. Quite the contrary... it makes me think that maybe folks with such a bad attitude should not be walking around with a gun.

I fully agree with the sentiment, and I attempted to setup a website that would eventually be turned over to a Texas based org. However I have since taken it down due to emails I received that bordered on threats. Once I did that they (the email senders) felt pretty smart because they found where I posted my phone number here and started calling me. I simply set my phone and voicemail to ignore numbers with the caller ID blocked. ANYONE who is so fanatical that they feel a need to behave in this manner has no business trying to represent a pro-gun effort/community/organization. I still support getting OC in Texas however I will not support any effort associated with OCDO as I can not, and will not, be associated with such behavior.

The way you get around the 30.06 issue is that your new bill specifies that "Sufficient Notice" is all that is required to prevent unlicensed carry, you go just a little further and have your legislation a CHL is not sufficient to open carry past "sufficient notice." It would also be wise to have the legislation specifically state that 30.06 does not apply to open carry (requiring two different signs to completely ban carry). I think it would also be prudent that any OC legislation would not permit OC in many locations permitted with a CHL (such as businesses that have alcohol sales for on premises consumption).

I find it interesting that the open carry crowd can be so rabid. I make no effort to hide who I am, and my email address is easy to guess (its gaheath@gaheath.com). I was even willing to follow up with Charles Cotton's advice that he has repeatedly offered regarding starting a Texas based organization. With that in mind what I assume to be a crazed minority have seen fit to send email that borderlines making a threat. I did in fact have an off the record conversation with a local law enforcement officer due to some of the communications. With that said I have decided not to support the current Open Carry effort in Texas as I do not wish to associated with such people. In summary, they really know how to make friends.

I am a big proponent of Open Carry, and I want to see it legalized, even though I doubt I would open carry. I do have to say that it is not in our best interest to try and get it through the legislature at this time because of the behavior of some people (you can find them over on Open Carry dot Org). The fastest course we can use to get Open Carry is through the courts. First off Heller determined that the Second Amendment is an Individual right, it is the corner stone of all future cases. Secondly McDonald is where we will get incorporation. Now the case to start us on the path towards constitutional carry is coming to us out of DC, I think it is called Palmer Vs DC. Palmer is one of the original plaintiffs from what became Heller. When this case is decided we hope to see that carry is a constitutionally protected right and when combined with McDonald we will have some sort of legal carry in all 50 states. Then the plan will most likely be to eliminate license requirements and/or total bans on open/concealed carry. So for now we do not want to waste time, or resources, on this issue as we have more important issues such as Campus Carry that need to be addressed.

Q: Can we get open carry in 2011?
A: A snowball has a better chance in a lake of fire.