2017 Legislative Priorities

[mojo84]

TSRA and NRA are silent about the Priorities for this election. It is the Presidential Election.
Protect the 2ndA from being stolen while you are asleep.

Priorities for the upcoming state legislature session has little to nothing to do with the presidential election. It's too early for the NRA to openly start pushing the legislative agenda openly.

However, you are correct about the presidential election being a priority now. I would also say the down ticket races are huge as well.

[KLB]

A suggestion that I don't think has been covered:

When a non-school venue such as a library hosts a school-related event such that carrying weapons is banned, what about requiring the venue to post notices of the school-related event at all entrances?

Too complicated and hard to enforce. How about just removing the carry prohibition and let the law abiding citizens carry where our fellow citizen cops carry?

I prefer your solution, but as to enforcement, the absence of a sign should be a defense to prosecution.

[MommaBear]

Now that we have campus carry, I'd like to see it expanded to include open carry on campus.

I'd also like to remove restrictions on public schools. There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to carry while walking into my kid's school's front office when I have to pick him up early to go to the orthodontist.

[TXBO]

Now that we have campus carry, I'd like to see it expanded to include open carry on campus.

I'd also like to remove restrictions on public schools. There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to carry while walking into my kid's school's front office when I have to pick him up early to go to the orthodontist.

I think it will be a long time before you see support for open carry on campus.

Personally, it wouldn't even make my top ten list.

[MommaBear]

I think it will be a long time before you see support for open carry on campus.

Personally, it wouldn't even make my top ten list.

I'm guessing that you're not on a public university campus 5 days a week. I am.

Just because an issue doesn't apply to you personally, doesn't mean you should ignore it. I don't care about sporting events, but I still support removing restrictions there.

We (pro-gun folks) have to be on the same side or we're never going to win. I personally wouldn't open carry on campus, but I'm not OK with the law prohibiting it.

[Soccerdad1995]

I think it will be a long time before you see support for open carry on campus.

Personally, it wouldn't even make my top ten list.

I'm guessing that you're not on a public university campus 5 days a week. I am.

Just because an issue doesn't apply to you personally, doesn't mean you should ignore it. I don't care about sporting events, but I still support removing restrictions there.

We (pro-gun folks) have to be on the same side or we're never going to win. I personally wouldn't open carry on campus, but I'm not OK with the law prohibiting it.

It's not just a case of people being unconcerned about things that don't impact them personally. In this case, there are a lot of people who are actively anti-open carry on these boards for a variety of reasons. I am not one of them, so I can't elaborate further on the reasoning.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I think it will be a long time before you see support for open carry on campus.

Personally, it wouldn't even make my top ten list.

I'm guessing that you're not on a public university campus 5 days a week. I am.

Just because an issue doesn't apply to you personally, doesn't mean you should ignore it. I don't care about sporting events, but I still support removing restrictions there.

We (pro-gun folks) have to be on the same side or we're never going to win. I personally wouldn't open carry on campus, but I'm not OK with the law prohibiting it.

Open-carry on campus will never pass, not ever. We won't even try to pass it because doing so would destroy our credibility, put our friends in a position of opposing an NRA bill, and transforming long-time friends into political enemies.

Chas.

[TXBO]

I think it will be a long time before you see support for open carry on campus.

Personally, it wouldn't even make my top ten list.

I'm guessing that you're not on a public university campus 5 days a week. I am.

Just because an issue doesn't apply to you personally, doesn't mean you should ignore it. I don't care about sporting events, but I still support removing restrictions there.

We (pro-gun folks) have to be on the same side or we're never going to win. I personally wouldn't open carry on campus, but I'm not OK with the law prohibiting it.

1) Removing concealed carry restrictions from sporting events would be at the top of my list.
2) I'm not on a campus 5 days a week but I have two daughters that are 7 days a week. Anything campus related at this point in my life is important.
3) I'm not against open carry on campus. I simply don't see any reason that should be a priority. There's little utility in passage and even less interest and political support.

[MommaBear]

We won't even try to pass it because doing so would destroy our credibility, put our friends in a position of opposing an NRA bill, and transforming long-time friends into political enemies.

Chas.

What do you mean by opposing an NRA bill?

[TexasCajun]

For all of the hooplah and grandstanding that happened for non-campus open carry passage, we've barely seen any open carriers. Enduring more of that for campus open carry is about as counterproductive as you can get - especially when there are still places that the most law-abiding segment of the population are prohibited from carrying. The top priority needs to be removing off limits places.

[Papa_Tiger]

What do you mean by opposing an NRA bill?

If the NRA, or the state affiliate the TSRA were to back a bill for open carry on college campuses, they would lose a lot of credibility with their supporters in the legislature. There is no chance that such a bill would pass given the current makeup of the legislature and even the NRA/TSRA supporters in the legislature would not support such a bill according to Charles. Given that Politics is the Art of the Possible, and it is not possible to pass such a bill, neither the TSRA nor the NRA would waste political capital defending such a bill that would be doomed to failure.

[MommaBear]

For all of the hooplah and grandstanding that happened for non-campus open carry passage, we've barely seen any open carriers. Enduring more of that for campus open carry is about as counterproductive as you can get - especially when there are still places that the most law-abiding segment of the population are prohibited from carrying. The top priority needs to be removing off limits places.

I understand, and I agree with you. I'd like to see as many places removed from the prohibited list as possible.

[TreyHouston]

I agree! Focus on removing gun free zones should be #1, IF trump doesn't do it first!

Last I checked, it wasn't LTC holders (or LTC teachers) that were causing problems at schools.

[ScottDLS]

Open handgun carry in many states has been like open rifle carry in Texas. It was always legal, but was hardly ever seen. Just like when it finally got here to Texas this year...almost nobody does it or where they do, it doesn't really raise any concern.

The problem with our shall issue licensed carry that came finally in 1996 was that it was so new after 126 years of prohibition that everything had to be hammered out in the legislature and the courts.

As usual the status quo/establishment wings of both parties had to be humored, dragged, buttered up, donated to, and so on... step by step with the NRA and TSRA making incremental progress.

In addition to the anti-gun leftists we (us "2nd amendment people") have to deal with the crony capitalist Chamber of Commerce types, nervous nelly retail lobby, police/private security monopolists, and Stetson wearing big "binness" types that think only "they" should have a gun.

Then you have to get the powerful county and city politicians/"bosses" to realize that the People are sovereign and when they act through the State (legislature), that you don't just get to blow them off 'cuz you're Boss Hogg of Hazzard County. Eg. 30.06 on public property, metal detectors for non-prohibited venues, arresting people for CWA, carrying while annoying (the cops).

Personally, I think the end goal should be summed up by one of this forum member's handle.... Anygunanywhere.... (I think I saw that handle here). Constitutional carry...open or concealed, license free, with no "prior restraint" by signs with criminal penalties, and special privileged people that carry where others can't.

If a blue state like Pennsylvania can have a Uniform Firearms Act with virtually no restrictions on carrying, and no criminal "signs", and permitless open carry...and deep blue Vermont was original Constitutional carry state, we can get there...I guess it will just be step by step.

[nightmare69]

^^^^to have constitutional carry would mean the end of TPC: 30.06/30.07. Would we have the full support of the NRA on a similar bill if one was to be submitted is the question.