Critical legislation for 2015

[CoolBreeze]

Thanks for the pole Chas. Let's just hope we can get some good legislation through this year!

[JMPJr]

I voted. Thank you Charles for running the poll. As per usual, you rock.

Removing the figure print requirement, won't that effect our CHL substituting for NICS.

I did read the entire thread and didn't see an answer to this. Please pardon my ignorance. Can anyone elucidate please?

[Charles L. Cotton]

I voted. Thank you Charles for running the poll. As per usual, you rock.

Removing the figure print requirement, won't that effect our CHL substituting for NICS.

I did read the entire thread and didn't see an answer to this. Please pardon my ignorance. Can anyone elucidate please?

No, we will still be NICS exempt. All that is required is that a background check be run and DPS already accesses all the required databases.

Chas.

[poppo]

I only voted for three, 2,9 & 10 with 10 being reducing the penalty for 30.06.

[Misfit Child]

I voted for the first two in the poll. Removing restrictions on where and how we may carry are more important than loosening the background check. They are also more important than penalizing property tax payers for bad apple government workers.

I also voted for other. I have two. The first is criminal penalties for those bad apples. The second is equality in the weapons laws for CHL and LEO not in the discharge of their official duties.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Thanks for your input on this poll folks. I'm writing an article on gun-related issues and I'll mention this poll in the article.

Chas.

[SA-TX]

Thanks for your input on this poll folks. I'm writing an article on gun-related issues and I'll mention this poll in the article.

Chas.

I cast my vote. Despite my reputation but in line with what I've always said, Open Carry didn't make my top 4.

SA-TX

[Charles L. Cotton]

Thanks for your input on this poll folks. I'm writing an article on gun-related issues and I'll mention this poll in the article.

Chas.

I cast my vote. Despite my reputation but in line with what I've always said, Open Carry didn't make my top 4.

SA-TX

You mean you care about more than just open-carry? I care about a lot more than guns, but I can't discuss those issues because to do so would water down my gun-related efforts.

Chas.

[Beiruty]

Thanks for your input on this poll folks. I'm writing an article on gun-related issues and I'll mention this poll in the article.

Chas.

I cast my vote. Despite my reputation but in line with what I've always said, Open Carry didn't make my top 4.

SA-TX

However, it is still on top 4 on the poll.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I uploaded another chart is anyone is interested.

The total number of votes has increased by 300 since the last chart was uploaded, yet the split between the topics has remained virtually unchanged. This isn't a surprise. The issues in order of their percentages:

• 1st 27% Repeal off-limits areas;
  2nd 16% Civil fines for unenforceable 30.06 signs;
  3rd 12% Repeal of 42.01(a)(8) - disorderly conduct with a firearm;
  4th 11% Open-carry
  5th 10% Adding teeth & expanding employer parking lot law;
  6th 09% Church security teams & CHL's;
  7th 05% Only violent misdemeanors should be disqualifying;
  8th 05% Conviction does not include completed deferred adjudications;
  9th 01% Remove fingerprint requirement.

The results of this poll thus far are what most would expect. Except for open-carry and possably number 3 related to disorderly conduct, the issues fall in the order of the number of people who would be impacted. Removing off-limits areas helps all 760,000+ CHL's while removal of the finger print requirement will have very limited impact on anyone currently holding a CHL. (Only people with poor fingerprints have to make multiple attempts even on renewals.)

Obviously, open-carry does not follow this trend. While it has the technical potential to impact 760,000+ CHLs, the reality is far different. Even the most ardent open-carry supporters claim that very few people would carry openly if the law were to change and this is probably correct. So far, open-carry has garnered 11% of the vote which would translate to 83,600 of the current 760,000 CHLs. Excluding LEOs and military, there aren't 86,600 people in the entire country that carry handguns-openly, so why does this issue rank 4th in the poll? The answer is far from clear and it is probably multifaceted, but there is little doubt that emotion plays a large role. I'm going to write an article on this poll and I think I'll also write a separate one discussing open-carry's ranking.

Thanks again for taking part in this poll folks.
Chas.

[Beiruty]

Open carry is legal in the majority of the states. So, as matter of principal, in a gun friendly state like Texas, why Texas should be one of last to make the OC lawful?
In addition, OC is lawful in Texas under many exceptions. Thus, why we do not get OC lawful so those LEOs do not abuse the OC on travel, or on his property? Going to/from to your car/home/range while open carry is lawful but how many LEOs know about the exceptions for OC?
Advancing gun rights is all inclusive and bills should proposed to lift the restrictions on those rights.

[pancho]

Open carry is legal in the majority of the states. So, as matter of principal, in a gun friendly state like Texas, why Texas should be one of last to make the OC lawful?

That's a good question Beiruty. I can't think of any other state where someone with a license to carry faces up to a year in jail if they remove their jacket and their holstered handgun sees daylight. We can point fingers and blame next year on the in-your-face demonstrations but that doesn't explain the past 15 years.

[The Annoyed Man]

Open carry is legal in the majority of the states. So, as matter of principal, in a gun friendly state like Texas, why Texas should be one of last to make the OC lawful?

That's a good question Beiruty. I can't think of any other state where someone with a license to carry faces up to a year in jail if they remove their jacket and their holstered handgun sees daylight. We can point fingers and blame next year on the in-your-face demonstrations but that doesn't explain the past 15 years.

"Legal in a majority of states" is kind of a canard. It is legal in "a majority", but in a lot of those states it is not common and will still earn you a trip to the hoosegow while the judge sorts it out. And even in the states where it is legal without issue, you can still be barred from entering any number of places with a simple sign.

I want Constitutional carry. I want it just as bad as anybody does. But I'm not going to stretch the truth to try and win arguments. I'm not calling you guys liars. Really, I'm not. But this "legal in a majority of states" thing is way oversold, and it is straight out of the OCDO propaganda package......and a lot of those boys are clean out of their minds. For instance, Nevada is an OC state, with total state preemption. Except Henderson County does not recognize the state's preemption, and if you OC into Henderson county, you'll not only be arrested, but you WILL get convicted, and you WILL serve time on a weapons charge.......even though Nevada is one of "that majority of states which have OC".......with state preemption in all gun laws.

Ditto Colorado. STATE law says OC is legal in Denver, LIttleton, and Aurora. Go ahead and try it. I dare you. Colorado's State preemption isn't worth a cup of warm spit.

Stretching truth and telling lies is the libtard way. Let's not go there.

[Charles L. Cotton]

. . . We can point fingers and blame next year on the in-your-face demonstrations but that doesn't explain the past 15 years.

There's no explanation necessary; very few people wanted it. Neither the NRA nor TSRA put open-carry on our legislative agenda until we did for the 2015 legislative session. Bomb-throwing loons killed it in 2009 before a bill was even drafted, then they did so again in 2011.

In spite of what ardent open-carry supporters say, only a very small percentage of Texas gun owners care one whit about open-carry. That's why nothing has been done to promote it; at least nothing by the only two organizations that could get it passed. We had far more important things to pass. In my view, we still do, but the decision was made to put open-carry on the legislative agenda so I'll work to pass it. I can't think of anything that we could pass that will have so little impact on Texas gun owners. Even open-carry supporters admit that very few people will carry openly.

Chas.

[Charles L. Cotton]

"Legal in a majority of states" is kind of a canard. It is legal in "a majority", but in a lot of those states it is not common and will still earn you a trip to the hoosegow while the judge sorts it out. And even in the states where it is legal without issue, you can still be barred from entering any number of places with a simple sign.

Absolutely right. If open-carry was both legal and a non-issue as many would have us believe, then there wouldn't be a website/organization (OpenCarry.org) that exists solely to promote it, because it wouldn't be necessary.

Chas.