Wait 'til next year!

[tomneal]

My how time flies.

The 2013 Texas Legislative Session is a year away. It's not too early to start thinking.

It's been 18 years since Concealed Carry passed (in Texas) and was signed by the Governor. (I just checked there is no blood running down my street.) Someone in Austin is pushing through new and renewal CHL's in a timely manor. There is only one state in the nation where there is no legal concealed carry. Violent crime is going down. Murder is going down. Our side has had a good run.

What is on your agenda (or wish list) for improvements to Texas gun laws for 2013?

[Teamless]

What is on your agenda (or wish list) for improvements to Texas gun laws for 2013?

Clarification on laws:
1 - Government Owned buildings - when leased to someone else, can they be posted 30.06 (ex: Pasadena Or GRB Gun Shows)

2 - School Property vs Premises - I believe the consensus is premises is buildings not grounds, what about entering a stadium area, is that Premises or just property?
Would love more just to allow campus carry in any (partially or fully funded) school (elementary, middle, high schools, and higher learning

No One should have to be a "test case" on the law, - lets get full definition!


More thoughts to come!

[tbrown]

I don't want to put the cart before the horse. This year we need to get rid of Straus and his supporters. That will pave the way for restoring gun rights in Texas.

Then, we can take baby steps forward. First, 46.035 should be repealed. Then we can get rid of most of 46.03 except prisons and similar places. Then 46.02 can go. Then we can figure out how to clean up the rest of 46.

[ninjamedic2293]

I still need a law that prevents PUBLIC employers from banning concealed carry by employees on government property except in places LEO's are prohibited.

[sugar land dave]

I would like excluded by law places to have to post an exclusive brightly colored sign on their entrances so that there are no "secret" court offices or annexes, no "secret" government meeting rooms, etc. State law excluded places should have their own special sign requirement so a law-abiding chl is not having to guess.

I would like government agencies and their officers to be made subject to possible fines and personal civil suits if they pass laws which pre-empt the state law or deliberately post 30.06 where they are not permitted by law or if the signs do not meet state requirements. Their risk at violating law should be equal to ours.

I would like civil responsibility laws for those who post business with 30.06. To wit: If you post 30.06 and someone is injured by a felon at your business any civil awards are automatically tripled. Likewise, if you did not post your property, any civil awards due to a felony firearm act are halved.

[troglodyte]

I would love to see CHLs being able to carry where LEOs can. There may be an exception or two. I don't know what LEOs can do in jails and prisons and such.

Short of that I'd like to see campus carry at all schools.

I do like the idea of cleaning up some of the definitions.

[MoJoeWrkn]

A law allowing Open Carry.

[seeker_two]

I'm concerned with what kind of Legislature we'll have in 2013....with the fallout from the budget cuts (esp. in school finance), Perry's failed POTUS run, and the voting district suit, I'm thinking that there will be a lot of new faces in Austin....and many of those will have "-D" following their name.....

[MeMelYup]

I can understand not carrying in court rooms because there are times when emotions are very high. Court offices are different. A person with a CHL should be able to carry in any PUBLIC area of a City, County, or State building. A regular CHL holder should not be restricted by law from carrying anywhere a Judge or Prosecuting Attorney can with the exception of a court room, for the reason stated above. Not being able to carry into a county annex to pay your taxes or license your car because there is a court office in the building is rediculas.

[tomneal]

Is 10 hours of training for a first time CHL really necessary? Could Texas get by with less?

You can't carry in court rooms or a sporting events. Why aren't they required to have storage lockers?

[The Annoyed Man]

A law allowing Open Carry.

A new law is problematic because it can later be overturned. Much better to repeal the law which forbids it in the first place, removing it from the books entirely. And......here we go again.....it must be done without modifying 30.06 to include open carry, so that those who choose to continue carrying concealed (which will likely be the majority among those who carry a gun) will not be negatively impacted.

[G.A. Heath]

A law allowing Open Carry.

A new law is problematic because it can later be overturned. Much better to repeal the law which forbids it in the first place, removing it from the books entirely. And......here we go again.....it must be done without modifying 30.06 to include open carry, so that those who choose to continue carrying concealed (which will likely be the majority among those who carry a gun) will not be negatively impacted.

I honestly see two routes that could be taken with the difference being in how 46.02(a) is modified. First route(un-licensed OC) is to add the word concealed before the word handgun in 46.02(a) which would make it illegal to carry a concealed handgun w/o a license while making open carry legal. The second (and my preferred) route would be to strike "handgun," from 46.02(a) which would provide for Constitutional Carry like AZ and AK has (no license needed but offered for reciprocity and other benefits).

After making the change of choice to 46.02 you would then want to strike 46.02(a-1) and make 46.035 apply to everyone and not to just CHLs or strike it entirely then you would be set.

This process would still give a business the right to exclude anyone CCing w/o a license or OC by simply posting a gun busters or similar sign, while 30.06 would still be required to prohibit licensed concealed carry.

[gringo pistolero]

Don't wait until next year. Vote this year and boot out the Straus supporters so we can pass pro-gun laws next year.