TEXAS REPUBLICAN PARTY PLATFORM POSITION ON CHL

[txrr]

Right to Keep and Bear Arms – We urge the Legislature and Congress to repeal all laws that infringe on the right to bear
arms, and to reject any monitoring of gun ownership, and all specific taxation or regulation of guns and ammunition. We
support a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence, without parole, for felonies committed with firearms. Stiff penalties
should be enacted for frivolous lawsuits against legitimate firearm manufacturers. All gun owners are responsible for
safely storing and operating firearms. We believe the Legislature should enact legislation preventing employers from
prohibiting Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders from storing their concealed handgun in their vehicle while on a
company parking area, and removing civil liability from property owners who do not prevent CHL holders from carrying on
their premises. We believe that Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders should be free from harassment, and license
revocations and denials against firearm dealers based on violations consisting of largely inconsequential record-keeping
errors and encourages the ATF to consider lesser gradation of sanctions for such errors. Firearms and ammunition
manufactured and sold in the state of Texas are not covered under the Commerce Clause and therefore are not subject to
Federal regulation. We support “open carry” in the State of Texas and we oppose “Gun Free Zones.”

Is there a single Democrat running for office that would support this platform? If so who? Just the facts please.

[Beiruty]

Is this official statement from TX Republican Party?

[OldCannon]

Here it is in all its glory.

http://static.texastribune.org/media/do ... ATFORM.pdf

[Purplehood]

Right to Keep and Bear Arms – We urge the Legislature and Congress to repeal all laws that infringe on the right to bear
arms, and to reject any monitoring of gun ownership, and all specific taxation or regulation of guns and ammunition. We
support a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence, without parole, for felonies committed with firearms. Stiff penalties
should be enacted for frivolous lawsuits against legitimate firearm manufacturers. All gun owners are responsible for
safely storing and operating firearms. We believe the Legislature should enact legislation preventing employers from
prohibiting Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders from storing their concealed handgun in their vehicle while on a
company parking area, and removing civil liability from property owners who do not prevent CHL holders from carrying on
their premises. We believe that Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders should be free from harassment, and license
revocations and denials against firearm dealers based on violations consisting of largely inconsequential record-keeping
errors and encourages the ATF to consider lesser gradation of sanctions for such errors. Firearms and ammunition
manufactured and sold in the state of Texas are not covered under the Commerce Clause and therefore are not subject to
Federal regulation. We support “open carry” in the State of Texas and we oppose “Gun Free Zones.”

Is there a single Democrat running for office that would support this platform? If so who? Just the facts please.

You do realize that being "pro-gun" (a vague-term used for simplicity-sake) does not necessarily equate to being a Republican, correct?

If Democrats were by default "anti-gun", we wouldn't have anywhere near the rights that we enjoy today.

[stevie_d_64]

Right to Keep and Bear Arms – We urge the Legislature and Congress to repeal all laws that infringe on the right to bear
arms, and to reject any monitoring of gun ownership, and all specific taxation or regulation of guns and ammunition. We
support a ten-year mandatory minimum sentence, without parole, for felonies committed with firearms. Stiff penalties
should be enacted for frivolous lawsuits against legitimate firearm manufacturers. All gun owners are responsible for
safely storing and operating firearms. We believe the Legislature should enact legislation preventing employers from
prohibiting Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders from storing their concealed handgun in their vehicle while on a
company parking area, and removing civil liability from property owners who do not prevent CHL holders from carrying on
their premises. We believe that Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders should be free from harassment, and license
revocations and denials against firearm dealers based on violations consisting of largely inconsequential record-keeping
errors and encourages the ATF to consider lesser gradation of sanctions for such errors. Firearms and ammunition
manufactured and sold in the state of Texas are not covered under the Commerce Clause and therefore are not subject to
Federal regulation. We support “open carry” in the State of Texas and we oppose “Gun Free Zones.”

Is there a single Democrat running for office that would support this platform? If so who? Just the facts please.

You do realize that being "pro-gun" (a vague-term used for simplicity-sake) does not necessarily equate to being a Republican, correct?

If Democrats were by default "anti-gun", we wouldn't have anywhere near the rights that we enjoy today.

This is actually quite true...

I know of several Republicans that are not even "warm" to the idea...

I consider myself "Conservative" first, Republican second...

I know several Democrat elected officials who jokingly refer to me as their token Republican Heathen...They've earned that ability to rib me on a lot of things...And I consider them to be politically amiable and able to work with on many issues other than just Gun-Rights...

Any elected official or candidate that doesn't have a basic understanding and respect of and for the Second Amendment, regardless of political affiliation, I have absolutely no use for...

[Keith B]

This is a very good point. As stated above, party affiliation does not necessarily equal 2A support. In my home state of Missouri, the now sitting Governor Jay Nixon is a Democrat. However, when he was Attorney General he was one of the the biggest proponents and voices in getting the CHL passed for that state. You will frequently see pictures of him outdoors canoing, fishing, hunting, even just at the range shooting skeet or targets. Great guy overall and one that I would consider voting for over several Republicans in the state.

[Purplehood]

I mean, just look at that nut-case Jerry Brown (Governor Moon-beam), the current Attorney General of CA. Can you believe that he has actually been pushing for 2A rights in the Peoples Republic of California?

[jimlongley]

Interesting: The first sentence could be read as an appeal to elimiante CHL in TX, ala VT, as I have requested from my legislators for years; while the fifth indicates that CHL could still exist, IMO not necessarily a bad thing, more like AK.

Do away with the requirement to possess a CHL in order to carry in TX, either concealed or open, but retain the CHL so that people who want to carry to work, or the civil liability thing, or make purchases easier, or any number of other scenaria, are able to get one.

And whie we are at it, remove the 30.06 sign language and make CHL holders able to carry anywhere a LEO can, while regular carriers have to obey (some specifically worded and strictly defined) signs.

[txrr]

The National Rifle Association has endorsed just three Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives this year. They are: Reps. Chet Edwards of Waco, who last year earned a grade of "A" from the NRA, Rick Boucher, a veteran gun-rights supporter from Virginia, and Travis Childers, a "Blue Dog" conservative from Mississippi. All of the other House candidates backed by the NRA are Republicans.

Reference http://blogs.chron.com/txpotomac/2010/0 ... _demo.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Beiruty]

Supporting open carry is interesting! I thought TSRA was not in this camp.

[txrr]

Open carry is supported by the Texas State Republican platform. I have yet to find the Texas State Democratic party's written postion on the topic of gun rights on any website. If someone has a reference to it please share. Bill White's website is silent as well. Its critical that we vote for the individuals who are going to support the 2nd amendment. Let's focus on electing Texan's who support our rights! By the way, I'd vote for a Democrat who gets an "A+" rating from the NRA/TSRA over a "C" rated Republican any day.

[Hoi Polloi]

CHLs and open carrying and parking lot bills are legal rights. Rights I can understand and respect wanting. However, unless our fundamental human rights are first respected--the right to life, liberty, etc--then no other right will be respected, either. A vote in favor of the human right to life is a vote for one's legal and constitutional rights as well. The inverse is also true. If you vote for someone who says he supports your legal right to carry while he denies the weakest among us his fundamental human rights, his lip service to you is merely political pandering and it is one step forward, two steps back where your individual rights are concerned.

[ELB]

There are some Democrats that support the 2A, and some Republicans that do not. However, there is no way the Democratic Party can be construed as supporting the 2A, and by far the majority of its leadership are hostile to it, Harry Reid being an exception. They have been slapped for it often enough that they try not to bring it up anymore, but they certainly have not "converted." I also would not trust any so-called conservative Democrat senator or representative to remain so if he thought he could get something out of flipping. Recall that Al Gore was once an anti-abortion and pro-2A Tennessee representative and senator...as long as he was just from Tennesee. But when he wanted to be VP and Pres and needed the support of the national party, he jettisoned those positions with little problem.

The Republican Party bears close watching, but the Democratic Party, particularly nationally, is on the wrong side, period.

[Purplehood]

Supporting open carry is interesting! I thought TSRA was not in this camp.

Just to clarify,

This is the Texas State Republican Party platform, not the Texas State Rifle Association.

[Cobra Medic]

Firearms and ammunition manufactured and sold in the state of Texas are not covered under the Commerce Clause and therefore are not subject to Federal regulation.

Do they really mean that? I know according to the US Constitution, the feds have no legitmate power to interfere with someone making a silencer in their garage, or converting an existing firearm to automatic or shortening barrel for personal use, but I would be surprised to hear a politician from either party admit it.