TexasCHLforum.com

The people doing the screening, searching bags, and wanding were some kind of contract unarmed security. I didn't try to catch their company name.

- Jim

Here's what I could find out: The City of Galveston police were told that CHL holders could enter the Strand area, as most people posting to this thread found out.

Probably also the state troopers know that CHL holders cannot be barred from an event held on a public street.

The out-of-town cops were not uniformly instructed.

Mardi Gras gets kicked around almost every year to a different management structure. Sometimes in the past it was the Galveston Historical Foundation (private) or the Parks Board. This year it was the city.

The only advice I can offer for the future is if you are turned away at one gate, go to another. Look for a Galveston officer or state trooper.

- Jim

A city can prohibit weapons at a demonstration or public meeting, but not persons with a CHL (Local Government Code 229.001(b)(6)—the Quanell X law).

Parades are not included in the law. Anyway, the parades were over for the day.

These people were just making stuff up.

- Jim

Well, I was turned away.

I told the first non-LEO security guy I had a CHL while holding it in my hand.

He said something along the lines of "You can't take that in here."

I said that is was legal and asked him to talk to a police officer.

He went and talked to an officer. Two officers came back. One said I could not enter with a firearm. He was polite enough about it. The other stood there and said nothing. Neither officer was with the City of Galveston or Galveston County Sheriff. Both were from out-of-town.

So back to the car it was.

This happened at the Rosenberg and Ship Mechanic entrance around 4:30 p.m.

- Jim

You can't predict who is going to do what at Mardi Gras. There isn't one agency that is in charge of everything. Many of the police officers are from other towns, working Mardi Gras as a part-time job.

- Jim

They can't legally prohibit a person with a Texas CHL from carrying on a public street, which is what we're talking about. Unfortunately, everything around here is run by five or ten different agencies, and they often hire LEOs from other jurisdictions for security.

In other words, there is no accountability.

- Jim

It's too bad you didn't get to test the system, but that's life. I went there on Sunday specifically to see if they had some kind of search or scan, which they did not at that time.

The pattern I've seen with public events is having metal detectors or bag searches for events that tend to attract maladjusted citizens, like concerts.

Mardi Gras in Galveston was pretty laid back until 1998 when some lunatic (and I do not use that word casually) went on a shooting spree (http://www.texnews.com/1998/texas/shot1108.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). Then they had airport-style metal detectors for a couple of years. Then they went to random searches. Then they quit making the Strand a controlled area. Now they are back to that.

As for what they can do to an armed CHL holder, legally, nothing. They could deny entry and then we would have months of going back and forth in court to get a decision, which would be in favor of CHL holders allowed entry―much like the state fair.

- Jim

I'm sorry I'm so self-centered. I was talking about Galveston's Mardi Gras in the Strand district.

- Jim

News to me. I went there yesterday. They had no wands or metal detectors.

Unfortunately they are lacking in clues in this department. I don't even know who is in charge this year. The best I can tell you is to call 1-888-GAL-ISLE.

- Jim