TexasCHLforum.com

Good catch. I was just searching for "Alma."

The web server says that page was last updated March 03, 1998.

- Jim

No, Liberty, sorry.

This is what I had found earlier:

DEM Alma A. Allen - Educator - Incumbent. Ms. Allen returned our questionnaire promptly. Her answers indicate a strong anti-gun position and ignorance of firearms and firearms issues (she has never been instructed in firearms safety). In response to a question asking for her opinion on the intent and meaning of the 2nd Amendment, she wrote, "My father was killed by gun shot. My brother was killed by gun shot. I hate guns." Ms. Allen sounds like very bad news for gun owners rights. She is noted by GTSC as a "2nd Amendment Opponent."

http://www.io.com/~velte/candids.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As I wrote earlier, I have no knowledge one way or the other of the credibility of this site.

Don't read what he says about the 24th Texas House District, because you will blow a gasket.

- Jim

Thanks. I don't know why I couldn't find this earlier: http://tsrapac.com/guideTxHouse.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I did find some negative statements about her and a putative anti-gun quotation. However, I can't vouch for the credibility of those sites.

- Jim

Of course, but as long as the majority think that no-guns signs stop crime, we will be stuck with this situation.

As you know, some school districts are so irrational and phobic that they don't want their security personnel to be armed.

- Jim

Liberty wrote:I wonder why they didn't discuss public primary and secondary schools.

Some people (including me) think a college campus-carry bill has a better chance of passing than trying to allow CHL in primary and secondary schools.

Nearly everyone on a college campus is an adult, and they are there voluntarily. (Anyone under 18 who is in college is probably smarter than most of the professors.) It's not different from any other place of business in that respect.

I think if you simply add the words "primary or secondary" to PC §46.03, you remove colleges, universities, and all the odd kinds of schools like barber college that we speculate about.

People are bizarrely emotional when it comes to primary and secondary schools.

Part of that comes from the fact that attendance is compulsory, and the state cannot morally compel kids to be in an unsafe place.

However, it has gotten to a ridiculous level, with some parties wanting to make schools peanut-free zones (because of kids with allergies) and banning items like aspirin and scissors.

- Jim

The individual committee members had the option of writing separate opinions. They are available here (page 92.

Rep. Alma Allen raised an objection that I'm sure will be brought up in debate: Namely, that CHL holders are not trained to handle active-shooter situations such as the Virginia Tech massacre.

There are three (IMHO) strong counter-arguments to this:

• The police are not all that good at handling massacres, either. Nearly all such lunatics commit suicide when the police arrive.
• At least three school massacres or potential massacres were stopped by armed non-LEOs.
• While school massacres are extremely rare, ordinary violent crime such as robbery and rape are frequent on college campuses; and all personnel, especially women, should have the right to defend themselves in a place where they spend so much time.

I can't dig up Dr. Allen's NRA rating, but what I can find paints her as actively anti-RKBA.

- Jim

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Charles, and thanks also for whatever effort you put into getting the report written, along with other TSRA members.

For those who don't want to read the whole document (which is only five pages) here's the gist of it:

• Summary of Texas laws that prohibit concealed carry on college campuses
• Discussion of federal law, which affects only primary and secondary schools
• Summary of laws of other states:
  - 23 states do not prohibit licensed concealed carry on college campuses.
  - In most such states, institutions prohibit weapons by policy.
  - Utah has an affirmative preemption law that protects the right of concealed-carry on public college campuses.
• Texas CHL holders are overwhelming law-abiding.
• Only 5% of Texas CHL holders are in the 21- to 25-year old range, meaning that few undergraduates would be able to carry.
• Recommendation: that the Legislature legalize carrying by Texas CHL holders on public and private college campuses, and preempt these institutions from prohibiting weapons by policy.

Note: The language of the recommendation implies that private institutions will not be able to ban licensed conceal carry. That will obviously be a contentious issue.

I will not be surprised if campus carry is limited to Texas CHLs, as ours is probably the most difficult to get of the shall-issue states. Some states with which we have reciprocity issue mail-order licenses.

It's refreshing to see such a report that is factual, clearly written, unequivocal, and makes such a strong recommendation.

- Jim