TexasCHLforum.com

With his permission, I am posting a copy of a letter or email (I don't know which) Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson sent to the Hilton hotel chain. The email/letter is self-explanatory. The addressee is not on the copy I received; I didn't just decide to leave it off.

If anyone chooses to fax or email Hilton, please be respectful and don't say anything that would let them stereotype you. Like it or not, we are representatives of all CHLs when we contact any person or company with our concerns about their policies.

Commissioner Patterson's email/letter is also posted on http://www.TexasCHLblog.com I hope to see him write more articles for the blog.

Many of you folks came to Texas after 1995 and may not know the role Jerry Patterson played passage of the Texas Concealed Handgun statute. In 1995, Jerry was the State Senator who successfully carried SB60 (CHL bill) to passage. He worked like a Trojan to get it passed, as he did in prior sessions. I had to honor to work directly with him (not his staff) on this bill and I can honestly say I've never seen any elected official work so hard on any bill. Jerry is often referred to as the "Father of Concealed Carry in Texas" and it's a title well-deserved. When Jerry left the Texas Senate he didn't leave behind this commitment to CHLs. He has been involved in clean-up bills and often speaks at events on behalf CHLs and the CHL program at DPS. Commissioner Patterson is a true friend many people don't know they have.

If anyone would like to say thanks to Jerry, here is his address. Yeah, email is faster and easier, but cards and letters still mean a lot because it takes a little more effort. It also keeps his email box from getting overloaded. Commissioner Jerry Patterson, General Land Office, P.O. Box 12873, Austin, TX 78711-2873.

Thanks,
Chas.

Commissioner Jerry Patterson wrote:Gentleman,

I recently picked up a member of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) from the Doubletree on 15th St in Austin and noticed the new signs announcing that concealed handguns are not permitted (the signs are silent on whether other types of firearms such as rifles and shotguns are prohibited).

I have several questions:

• 1. Is a firearm in a personal vehicle in your garage prohibited?
  2. Since I was in my vehicle and armed when I drove up to pick up my colleagues the other night, was I in violation of your policy?
  3. When you accept reservations do you inform your guests of this policy so that they are not surprised when they arrive?
  4. If a guest with reservations and a firearm, and who was not aware of your new policy arrived at your hotel would you provide safe off premises storage for the weapon?
  5. If there were no provisions for storage of a firearm, would you insure the guest could find other equivalent lodging in Austin even if all hotels were booked as is often the case?
  6. Since most of the SBOE members stay at your hotel because they can walk to state office buildings, do you assume an additional obligation for the personal safety of guests who are disarmed by your policy and who may be victims of crime while on or off your premises, particularly while walking at night to and from meetings?
  7. Do you have any concern that the signs posted on your building might attract criminal activity since criminals are likely to be attracted to a location where they believe their potential victims are unarmed? Does this obvious incentive for criminal activity create an additional liability for you if a guest is assaulted?
  8. Are you aware that the signs you have posted likely do not comply with Texas Penal Code section 30.06 and therefore may not be legally sufficient to ban handguns from your property?

While a State Senator, I was the author of Texas' concealed handgun law. There are few if any in the State of Texas who are more familiar with state and federal firearms law than I. Additionally, I have spent approximately $15,000 hosting receptions at your hotel, and have attended many others as a guest of other elected officials and the Republican party. I can reasonably state that tens of thousands of dollars of future revenue may be in jeopardy if this senseless policy remains in effect.

I recognize there is a great deal of misunderstanding about Texas firearms law, and frequently premise holders believe posting signs may be required by law in oder to achieve some desirable objective. In other words, posting these signs is not always an informed decision.

While I am not an attorney, I am more than willing to explain Texas firearms law to anyone with the Hilton Hotel corporation. I'm very qualified to do so since I authored most of the laws pertaining to carrying handguns while I was a member of the Texas legislature.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Jerry Patterson

Commissioner, Texas General Land Office

Now there's a well-written letter from someone obviously in a position to know what he's talking about. I would be very interested in Hilton's response.

Wow. Nice to have him on our side.

Cool!

I will also point out, in my email and letter to them, that the Hilton Family, which they are a "proud member of" trademark states "be hospitable" and this can be viewed as way less than hospitable by the entire class of law abiding citizens that it discriminates against.

I also will send back my Hilton HHonors card with the same mailing. Of course it hasn't been used in more than a year, but it's the thought that counts.

8. Are you aware that the signs you have posted likely do not comply with Texas Penal Code section 30.06 and therefore may not be legally sufficient to ban handguns from your property?

Great letter. However, I would have not have informed them of this. Now they might go put up actual 30.06 signs that DO comply with the law and ban handguns from the property (should they decide not to heed his warning in the rest of the letter)

I agree in general that it's better not to inform a proprietor that they do not have conforming 30.06 signs. However, Mr. Patterson is in a position to convince the hotel of the error of their ways or give them a lot of bad publicity in the capital.

Posting a hotel is pretty obnoxious, for the reasons stated. Also, travelers have traditionally been permitted to go armed, not only in Texas but many other states that have handgun restrictions.

- Jim

Doug.38PR wrote:However, I would have not have informed them of this. Now they might go put up actual 30.06 signs that DO comply with the law and ban handguns from the property

I think it's a great letter, but the author should not have pointed out that the signs are not compliant with the requirements of 30.06. Sometimes you have to fight the battle without giving up the inside information.

Tom

Hilton Hotels are owned in their entirety by Blacksotne Holdings. This conglomerate also owns British Airways among other interests. I sincerely hope that Mr. Patterson's letter was sent to the correct people. By the way Blackstone is a privitely owned holding company and as such does not trade on any of the exchanges.

DoubleActionCHL wrote:Now there's a well-written letter from someone obviously in a position to know what he's talking about. I would be very interested in Hilton's response.

For several years I have spent two nights in October in the Doubletree I35 & Hwy, Austin, for training. They were not posted last year, sure hope it is resolved before next year or I might not be going.

I thought that the Marriott family of hotels was a lot more friendly towards CCW, or do they also require you to check in your firearms at the front desk?

I am sitting in a Marriott hotel room right now. I have been here for a year. I come in and out with guns all the time (in rifle bags and such) and have handguns frequently in my bedside table drawer. The maid even opened the drawer once to put a phonebook in and closed it because there was no room because of all the guns, not a word was said. Another maid walked in on my one day while I had been cleaning my .357 Highway Patrolman. I had forgotten that it was sitting on the bed behind me. After a few moments of tiding up the room it came time to clean the bed. She simply asked if I would move the gun so she could make the bed. Nothing was ever said.
Another landman kept a pistol under his pillow and forgot about it. The maid yanked the sheets off the bed and the pistol flew out and hit the floor (yikes) scaring the maid to death. They told him he was legal but asked that he be more careful.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the sign be almost impossible to enforce, since there is an exception to UCW for property you own or control? I realize that common areas would be questionable, but the new law exempts people on the way to their vehicle. While staying, I control my room. You could even argue that, by paying a parking fee, you are renting that parking space, and are , therefore, in control of it.

The only sticking point to all of this would be those visiting the hotel without staying there, such as the honorable Mr. Patterson, who was picking up a friend.

Totally agree with Barres. While in your hotel room, you are officially in your "domain". As I understand it, you are allowed to have a gun in "your domain".
I can assure you that my pistol will be with me in ANY hotel room.

As far as visiting a hotel without spending the night...........I've never really be concerned with it before. I'm not going to be concerned now.

DoubleActionCHL wrote:Now there's a well-written letter from someone obviously in a position to know what he's talking about. I would be very interested in Hilton's response.

We should send him a thank-you note and a Taco Cabana gift card :)