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Charles L. Cotton wrote:The only way to pursue "constitutional carry" is with the bill I've already written for 2019. It 1) moves all of TPC §46.035 to §46.03 so as to apply it to unlicensed carry; 2) renders LTC exempt from not only TPC §46.02, but §46.03 as well; and 3) makes anyone who can lawfully possess firearms under state and federal law eligible for a LTC. The Legislature will not pass constitutional-carry unless people are prohibited from carrying in locations currently in TPC §46.035. Removing off-limits areas for LTCs by exempting us from §§46.02 and 46.03 will give a strong incentive to get a license even though it is not required. This will give the Legislature a measure of comfort in supporting constitutional-carry.

This is the bill I'm going to promote, whether or not TSRA backs it or something else. I'm sick of HB560 being ignored for 10 years and I'm not about to support a constitutional-carry bill without providing relief for LTCs that they have deserved for years. I too am tired of "maybe next session."

Chas.

Soccerdad1995 wrote:

Lynyrd wrote: There are over one million LTC holders in Texas now. Is that a big enough group to pay a lobbyist? I don't know. Would a paid lobbyist even help our cause? I don't know. But I do know that even among pro 2A Texans, non LTC holders are not terribly concerned or terribly sympathetic to these issues. And that my friends, is something our legislators know as well.

This brings up a thought. If CC was to pass, that number of 1 million legal gun carriers would instantly increase to almost the entire adult population of the state. How many of the non-LTC holders will start to carry? Who knows. Probably most of the non-LTC folks that are currently carrying their cars under MPA. But the point is that we would see an increase in the number of people who would have a dog in this hunt with regard to the rights of folks who carry guns. That definitely wouldn't hurt.

stash wrote:Received an email this morning (like probably a lot you all did) from Alice Tripp/TSRA why constitutional carry (CC) did not make it this past session and what they (TSRA) are going to do to get it done in the next session. Sure sounded to me that CC was going to be the priority next session. The disappointing thing to me was not a word about 560 next session.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:I would love to say so much more folks, but this is a public forum and I simply cannot expound on the situation. We need to fight hard for some very important gun bills we have filed. Clarifying "school activity grounds," exempting volunteer church security teams from the Occupations Code, dramatically lowering the LTC fee and several more improvements deserve our full support. We need to be strong in our opposition to anti-gun bills. We cannot let our anger at the death of HB560 yet again destroy our impact on Texas gun laws overall.

I will say this much. I'm a good soldier, but I cannot control everything, everyone or every organization. Immediately after this session is over, I will announce a new effort. I've outlined a comprehensive bill dealing with the carrying of handguns with and without a license in terms of license requirements, eligibility, off-limits areas, self-defense and more. When time permits, I will draft this comprehensive bill and when the session is over, I will launch this entirely new program. If we have a massive response it will be successful, otherwise, it will fail. It's that simple. Unfortunately, among the gun community as everywhere else in life, less than 10% of a group carry the load for everyone else. Only time will tell how many Texas gun owners are serious about sweeping changes to our gun laws.

Chas.