STATE SENATE PASSES HANDGUN BILL
A measure passed by the Texas Senate, Wednesday, would allow people to carry a handgun without a license, or the background check and training that go with it.
Lawmakers have reduced classroom and shooting range training requirements over the last decade, but had been reluctant to eliminate the license requirement altogether.
The move has been approved over the objections of law enforcement and gun control groups. If it becomes law, Texas would join nearly two dozen states that allow some form of unregulated carry of a handgun but it would be the most populous by far.
The state House has already passed a similar version of the bill and the two chambers will have to negotiate differences before sending it to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he’ll sign it into law.
Would this new law stop people that participate in criminal activities from breaking the law ?
If you look at the demographics, most gun violence occurs in large urban areas with the most restrictive gun laws. Likewise, areas with the least restrictive gun laws have the least violent crime. Every argument in favor of gun control fails the test. I respect police, but remember that when seconds count, police are minutes away. Besides, this law is necessary pushback to planned federal confiscation of guns, and you can bet that it’s coming. And when guns are outlawed, does anyone think the criminals will give up theirs?
So then would you agree that high school age students should be allowed to carry a gun at the high school? If not, why not? If they feel unsafe with the measures currently in place, maybe they need a gun to defend themselves. As well should a 16-year-old be able to drive an 18-wheeler with 25 tons of cargo at 70 miles an hour down any highway? Should anybody who feels they have some medical knowledge be able to hang a shingle out and call themselves a medical doctor? Licenses and permits are put into place so that those who have them are known to have received training and demonstrated the abilities that are commensurate with that license. Everyone could be given the right to carry a firearm legally, and the federal government still mandate that firearms be confiscated and taken away. The sad fact is that people having the ability to carry a firearm without proper training or demonstration of competence only gives the gun control faction more examples of people who don’t know what they’re doing having a gun and possibly [mis]using it. I fail to see what is problematic in allowing the current licensing procedure to stand as it is; what has been the impetus to change it? And as far as criminals continuing to have guns, if the legislature was so focused on solving crime problems, they would push through a mandatory 30-year minimum on anyone who is convicted of a crime involving a firearm and set it up so that no early-release is possible.
The typical straw man argument! Back in the day, 16 year olds including myself did bring guns to school, and guess what? There never was a bloodbath at BHS! There were, and still are plenty 16 year olds driving up and down the highway in farm machinery every day in Washington County, and guess what? Everyone gets home safely!
As for this being an excuse for more gun control, please! This can go right behind the excuses to ban assault weapons, “high” capacity magazines, universal background checks, one handgun a month purchase limits, banning handguns, and so on….
And your statement regarding licenses really demonstrates lack of basic comprehension skills Licenses are revenue generating tools for the state first and foremost, and do not guarantee any level of skill by the licensee or the general public. Licenses of any kind at best are a tool by which the state deters behavior that it does not condone.
“Licenses are revenue generating tools for the state first and foremost, and do not guarantee any level of skill by the licensee or the general public. Licenses of any kind at best are a tool by which the state deters behavior that it does not condone.”
So by your understanding, a certified teacher is no more skilled than the average person, a licensed medical doctor has no more smarts than anyone else, and a TCOLE-certified law enforcement officer has no more level of skill or training than the average citizen?
As well, your state issued-driver’s license then reflects that the state gives you the privilege of driving but it deters you from doing something that reflects behavior that it does not condone [like walking?]; I think I’d like to have that (more thoroughly) explained to me. If I would be you, when that driver’s license comes up for renewal, just don’t deal with the DPS, and tell them that it’s just a money-making racket; when your automobile inspection and registration renewal are due, don’t be stupid like the rest of us and acquiesce – -stand up and fight!
When I went to Brenham High school, I know there were guns brought to campus, and again, nothing ever happened. However, times and people’s mentalities change, as well as laws and juries. I have asked this several times and, for anyone who reads it, I would like to hear your thought(s) on WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CURRENT LICENSING SYSTEM? It’s only $40, plus the course, and it gives you the benefit of being exposed to the plethora of state laws that you, as a licensed handgun carrier, will have to follow and should know, both for your criminal and civil benefit.
I also wonder why I don’t see anyone openly carrying long guns at any places around Washington County. To me, if you’re that worried about your safety, an AR platform carbine with 2 30-round clips affixed together might be a deterrent; it’s also cheaper.
Actually, one must be 21 to legally purchase a hand gun. If someone under that age has one, they do so illegally. As far as the eighteen wheeler reference, you are comparing apples to pork chops. They are not even in the same group. Also, if criminals would be willing to give up their illegal guns, stop selling and using drugs, stop killing and robbing, etc, wouldn’t they have already done it by now? I for one am glad we get to be on an equal playing field with the criminals. Imagine criminals not knowing what citizen has a hand gun. Might deter some crime, I think. God bless Texas!!!!
Gun don’t killed . People kill it takes a brain to pull the trigger. Take away the knife, hammer 2×4 and rocks want me 2 say more.
I agree Nelson. Back in the 1970s there were shotguns and rifles in the gun racks of lots of pickup trucks on campus. The fact that guns were there didn’t bother anyone. GUNS have not changed, PEOPLE have. We now live in a society that believes every one is entitled to whatever they want, and whenever they want it. As you said, if you take the guns out of the situation there are plenty of other weapons to choose.
And since the local area’s very own senator, Lois Kolkhorst, is a co-sponsor of HB 1927, how does she square this support with the fact that she claims to support law enforcement in their jobs when the law enforcement community has come out in opposition? A fairly recent poll in Texas done by UT and Texas Tech showed that the majority of Texans are against this constitutional carry, and would prefer to see the current policy remain in place.
If the alleged thinktank called the Texas government had any brains, it would allow the current licensing program to stay in place and remain at the current cost for applicants; for those who don’t want to go through the program, put a $200 per year fee on it, and make it a 5-year minimum, and take each of the new ‘wannacarries’ for $1,000. That would cover some of the costs of persons not knowing the law and shooting someone as well as accidental shootings.
A poll done by UT? A liberal university in the heart of a very blue city? Means nothing. The posters get whatever results they want going in.
Gutsy post, especially in this area! Kudos!
Lois supports law enforcement, Lois supports the National Rifle Association, Lois supports ……….. Lois is a Brenhamite but money has made Lois a politician.
If the bill reaches the governor’s desk and he signs it, then it would follow that any group should have the right to have professions or situations regulated by licensing and permitting remove those. If a 10 year old always wanted to drive an 18-wheeler with 50,000 lb of cargo on it, he shouldn’t need a license – – just let him drive. If a person thinks they have medical ability gleaned from using the internet, let them be a doctor – – they don’t need a license. If your neighbor feels sure that he has some skill in plumbing or electrical work, he should be able to take on any job whether it’s fixing a faucet or rewiring/repiping a hospital – – he doesn’t need a license. Those policemen with badges and training – – you don’t need that, you just need your gun. Thinking about flying somewhere? Does the guy flying the plane really need to have any training in that? No, he just always wanted to [try to] fly that commercial airliner…
Licensing and permitting serves the purpose to cull those that are unable, unfit, and unwilling to receive training from the rest of the group or population. The license or permit also is something that can be held over one’s head to meet or follow other procedures; if certain other criteria are not met, then that license can be removed and the privileges that accompany it are taken away.
Again, if none of the legislators want to follow what law enforcement officers and organizations have advised on this matter, then why will they make such a big deal of those “heroes” when they are injured/killed on the job? If the legislators, as a whole, believe law enforcement officials to be so stupid and backwards, they should probably make THAT clearly known instead of pandering to them on one side and stabbing them in the back on the other.
Good! Now I can buy another handgun. This time I can freely keep it with me all of the time. I won’t have to hide it anymore! It is a good thing I never got caught.
So then you admit you have been engaging in criminal activities. It seems that I recall you were very much on the Black Lives Matter forefront screaming how the police were not doing their jobs and were targeting African Americans unfairly.
Regardless, the idea that it is ‘fine as long as you don’t get caught’ is why we have people drinking and driving, driving recklessly, and otherwise doing illegal things.
Nah, now the cops have an excuse to shoot you when you really aren’t doing anything illegal. “He’s got a gun!” So now it’s legal to ‘carry’ it, but if it happens that it’s in your hand when L. E. on a call first sees you… then it’s ‘brandishing,’ which is not legal. Unless you are also pointing it at someone, and then it’s contextual. Sound confusing and like the odds are ever-more stacked against cops making the right decisions under pressure? It is and they are. Don’t worry, some public comments-lawyer will correct all this in a moment. Just remember…. a 12 yr old with an AR can kill a couple dozen unprepared people in a couple minutes, with no training. I don’t believe even Bruce Lee or Chris Kyle could accomplish that feat with a “2×4 and a handful of rocks.”
The only benefit to passing this legislation is assuring votes for the legislators who passed it. It would be safe to say that much of the legislation passed this session falls into this category. It is pandering to a growing portion of violent, mentally and emotionally unstable group of persons who support anarchy. All legitimate law enforcement agencies oppose this ludicrous legislation. All businesses will be forced to post signs prohibiting the open carrying of firearms, licensed or not, because anyone with a brain would not enter the premises. Their customers will demand it. The only place available to these firearm carriers will be the public streets. Won’t the tourists just live that? The legislators know this, but again, the purpose is to gather votes.
The anarchists are already armed. I think the new law will send a clear message we will not allow our area to become the next Portland. And if the bill brings votes for legislators, that means they are doing something right. Besides, no one is forcing anyone to carry a gun. If someone is about to harm you, you still have the option of asking them to hold off until you dial 911 and police arrive.
You know, I only worked about 5 years at convenience stores in a couple small towns in the U.S., but if I’d been carrying a handgun legally, and felt morally and legally obligated to intervene myself instead of only calling 911 and waiting for the cops when a person on the property was being gravely threatened or attacked by another, I can count at least 10 times I would have had to decide whether to shoot someone. That seems like a lot to ask, for minimum wage. On the other hand, I was robbed 4 times, but nobody ever got hurt. But being a robbery target doesn’t strike me as being too much to ask for minimum wage..? Weird. Although, I have to admit it is sure not common anymore to see teens behind the c-store counter.
BIG MISTAKE!