TexasCHLforum.com

ELB wrote:

jed wrote:

cb1000rider wrote:Pretty sure it wasn't the Yankees that did this to us...

I think it was. Texans lost almost all gun rights during reconstruction.

cb1000rider is correct, t'weren't the Yankees. The banning of pistols and other handy self-defense items came after Texas was readmitted to the Union.

Within a year of the conclusion of the Civil War, there were very few Yankees left in Texas, and the military commanders that were here found it very difficult to ride herd on Texas. Despite the various loyalty oaths and other mechanisms meant to keep confederates out of government, and some re-sets on the governors and state constitutions, the confederate power structure came back pretty fast. About the only lasting effect the Yankees had was the banning of slavery and maybe rebuilding the railroads.

Texas was readmitted to the Union in March 1870, and the Texas Legislature passed the law that essentially banned public carry of pistols, dirks, bowie knives, etc a year later in April 1871 -- due in large part to the violence that ex-confederate "guerrillas" and run-of-the-mill bandits were causing. The Texas Supreme Court upheld that law in 1872.

The Republicans (and these were Texas Republicans, not "carpet baggers" or other "foreigners") were already on their way out then, and were run out of government for the next 100+ years shortly thereafter. I think "Reconstruction" officially tottered on until something like 1874, but for all practical political purposes Texas was under local management.

IIRC, the Texas Supreme Court opined that the 2A of the Federal Constitution protected only military arms, and the Court did not see dirks, bowie knives, and pistols as military arms. Muskets, rifles, shotguns, bayonets, and yes even cannons were OK for possession by citizens since they were used by soldiers and militia. (Somehow the TSC didn't notice the knives and pistols soldiers also carried).

And even if the Yankees did trample gun rights during reconstruction, Texas Democrats had many many decades to change that...and chose not to.

cb1000rider wrote:Pretty sure it wasn't the Yankees that did this to us...