Constitutional carry bills update - HB1911 and HB375

[stealthyeliminator]

HB375 and HB1911 are essentially being combined, and will move forward under HB1911. Representatives Stickland and White will now be joint authors of HB1911. Most of the significant issues with HB1911 have been, or will be further remedied as part of this process. It is time for everyone to rally strongly behind HB1911 as it moves forward.

Under the new iteration of HB1911, essentially, if you are able to legally purchase a handgun in Texas, you will be able to legally carry that handgun without a license.

The revised HB1911 will not include carry for 18-20 year olds, and it will not include unlicensed carry on college campuses. The revised HB1911 will not provide for law enforcement to stop and ID a person based solely on the fact that they are carrying a handgun.

 

[stealthyeliminator]

Things are fluid - IDK if the above is happening anymore. It sounds like certain people in certain positions, who would call themselves conservatives, but are not, do not want any sort of true constitutional carry to pass. So far I think HB1911 is still the bad bill it was before.

 

[TXOC16]

I've finally had a chance to review a draft copy of CSHB 1911 and it is still complete junk, as bad as it was before. As mentioned in another thread, it is an absolute abomination that this bill did, and apparently still does, actually expand and codify stop-and-ID in Texas:

"Sec. 411.205. REQUIREMENT TO DISPLAY IDENTIFICATION AND
HANDGUN LICENSE. If a person [[strike]license holder[/strike]] is carrying a handgun
[[strike]on or about the license holder’s person[/strike]] when a magistrate or a
peace officer demands that the person [[strike]license holder[/strike]] display
identification, the person [[strike]license holder[/strike]] shall display [[strike]both[/strike]]
the person’s [[strike]license holder’s[/strike]] driver’s license or identification
certificate issued by the department or other proof of identity. If
the person is a license holder under this subchapter and is carrying
the person’s handgun license, the person also shall display [[strike]and[/strike]]
the person’s [[strike]license holder’s[/strike]] handgun license."

This is not compromise, this is capitulation.

 

[The Big Guy]

Overall it is still a plus if enacted. The part about stop and ID in my opinion will not stand. All it will take is a test. Of course all that takes is someone with the nerve to oppose an officer, and a load of cash to fight it. Who knows, maybe the Second Amendment Foundation or similar would pick it up.

The Big Guy

 

[TXOC16]

Unlicensed OC in Texas is Essentially Dead

Oh, well. In spite of the tireless and ever-valiant efforts by the usual suspects (and I mean that in the most positive manner possible), thanks to the RINO chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, Phil King, who audaciously and comically fancies himself as some sort of Reagan Republican, barring an immediate injection of 2A-miracle divine intervention, unlicensed OC in Texas is essentially dead this session, which officially ends on May 29 ("officially" because Greg Abbott could call a special session, but he is unlikely to do so for this issue alone).

HB 375 never made it out of the good chairman's committee because RINO Phil, who much like all former cops proudly proclaims his prior work history, and, thus, knows pretty much everything about everything, declared HB 375 unacceptable in its current form due to "concerns" by the Texas Attorney General's office (except---oops, Ken Paxton's office withdrew their "concerns" with regard to both bills during subsequent testimony---how embarrassing was that, Phil?), while the incredibly poorly written, stop-and-ID-codifying, HB 1911 is still languishing in the Calendars Committee, with little hope of making it to the House floor and with even less hope of making it to the Senate in time for anything close to passage.

Make no mistake, the killing of these bills was a planned and intentional act by the RINOs in both Houses, but particularly Joe Straus, Phil King, and every single dumbocrat in both houses.

Special kudos go to Jonathan Stickland, Kyle (The Rookie) Bierdermann, Matt Rinaldi, and Matt Schaefer, who, among a handful of others, consistently and admirably adhere to conservative values in spite of ever-present RINO pressure to do otherwise.

All said, and in spite of the above, thanks to groups like OCT and LSGR, unlicensed OC in Texas continues to gather significant momentum, advancing much farther than in previous sessions, and it will certainly be a prominent issue during the next legislative session.

 

[HPmatt]

Texas NRA-ILA update

Got this summary today: Other than dropping fees, doesn't look like 2A restrictions have been rolled back any further. Really don't know what, if any, fronts the NRA-ILA has worked on to move things forward in Texas. As an aside, I don't think a Texan wrote this summary - really don't refer to Texas as 'The Lone Star State' when speaking among other Texans.

Your NRA-ILA previously reported that Governor Greg Abbott signed two important pro-Second Amendment measures passed by the Texas Legislature during the recent 140-day session into law:
Senate Bill 16, priority legislation of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick that slashes the cost of an original License To Carry from $140 to $40 and reduces the price of a renewal LTC from $70 to $40 to bring fees down to among the lowest in the nation; and House Bill 1819 which revises Texas statutes to track federal law regarding ownership and possession of firearm sound suppressors. [The Texas Penal Code currently requires these devices to be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. If the Hearing Protection Act that eliminates this federal requirement were to pass Congress before the Texas Legislature meets again in 2019, suppressor owners would have no way of complying with state law and could be guilty of a felony offense without this important change.]
An amendment was added to HB 1819 in the Senate to clarify that non-NFA, short-barreled firearms with a pistol grip -- such as the Mossberg 590 Shockwave -- are not unlawful to sell or own in Texas. The Lone Star State is one of just two states where this particular gun cannot currently be sold lawfully.
Both laws take effect on September 1, 2017.

Governor Abbott has now also signed the following bills into law, which also have an effective date of September 1:
Senate Bill 263 repeals the minimum caliber requirement (.32) for demonstrating handgun proficiency during the range instruction portion of the License To Carry course. This unnecessary provision negatively impacts LTC applicants with hand injuries or arthritis who would benefit from being able to use a smaller caliber handgun.

Senate Bill 1566 contains provisions from HB 1692 and SB 1942 to allow employees of school districts, open-enrollment charter schools and private elementary or secondary schools who possess valid LTCs to transport and store firearms out of sight in their locked cars and trucks. These employees had been left out of the 2011 law banning employer policies restricting the lawful possession of firearms in private motor vehicles.

Senate Bill 2065 includes language from HB 421 and HB 981 to allow volunteers providing security at places of worship to be exempt from the requirements of the Private Security Act. This could include License To Carry holders approved by congregation leaders, since the prohibition on possession of firearms by LTCs at places of worship is only enforceable if the location is posted or verbal notice is given.

House Bill 1935 repeals the prohibition on the possession or carrying of knives such as daggers, dirks, stilettos and Bowies, by eliminating them from the prohibited weapons section of the Texas Penal Code. Restrictions remain in place for possession or carrying of knives with a blade over 5 ½ inches long in public places and penalties are enhanced for carrying those in the same locations where the possession of firearms is prohibited, generally.

House Bill 3784 allows persons approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety to offer an online course to cover the classroom portion of the required training for a License To Carry. The measure also exempts active military personnel and veterans who have received firearm instruction as part of their service within the last 10 years to be exempt from the range instruction portion of the LTC course. ​

 

[77zach]

Phil King, who audaciously and comically fancies himself as some sort of Reagan Republican,

Actually, his title is more appropriate than ever now. As governor of California, Reagan signed a law that removed Ca from the list of states with Constitutional carry.

 

[TXOC16]

Well, the Special Session is, indeed, afoot, and yesterday, Rep. Jonathan Stickland, who has proven himself to be quite the Constitutional stalwart and firebrand (oh, the horror!), introduced HB 296, which, unfortunately, without an agenda addendum to the initial call to session by the "good" Gov. Abbott, has no chance whatsoever for passage.

At this point, with regard to observing, acknowledging, and defending the Second Amendment rights of Texas citizens during the 2017 Regular Session and, thus far, during this Special Session, Mr. Abbott's official response has been...(darn---where is that "crickets" emoji when I need it?)

Of course, if you care to contact Mr. Abbott in order to express your own thoughts on this matter, feel free to exercise your ever-fading, but still slightly remaining U.S. Constitutional right to petition your government for a redress of your grievances with a call to Mr. Abbott's office at 512-463-2000.

Carry on.