Lt Governor
Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 1:20 pm
What's up the the Lt Governor asking the AG for an opinion regarding black letter law?
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http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/12/ ... -churches/The Annoyed Man wrote:Link to story?
Link to Dan Patrick's letter to the Ken Paxton.bbhack wrote:What's up the the Lt Governor asking the AG for an opinion regarding black letter law?
it's possible that he's just trying to get more people to see that this law passed. He may be hearing people say that "security teams are illegal" and he may be getting tired of saying "hey, we passed this law". So, this is one way of getting publicity for the new law.bbhack wrote:What's up the the Lt Governor asking the AG for an opinion regarding black letter law?
Seems pretty clear why the Lt. Gov is asking the AG for the opinion: get the word out to Texans who aren't keeping up with the law.bbhack wrote:What's up the the Lt Governor asking the AG for an opinion regarding black letter law?
However, I believe our state laws provide more protections than many Texans realize.
This was my read as well...The Annoyed Man wrote:Sounds to me like he’s trying to encourage churches to take advantage of the law. There are probably a lot of churches that either (A) aren’t sure what the change to the law means for them, or (B) a lot of churches are getting a false explanation of the law from the security companies they were employing prior to the law’s passage.
I sort of read it as "until AG opines, maybe we should not carry in church".The Annoyed Man wrote:Why is this letter of clarification a problem?
It is black letter law. He could have cited it, instead of making it seem that we cannot understand anything unless the smart ones interpret it for us.RoyGBiv wrote:This was my read as well...The Annoyed Man wrote:Sounds to me like he’s trying to encourage churches to take advantage of the law. There are probably a lot of churches that either (A) aren’t sure what the change to the law means for them, or (B) a lot of churches are getting a false explanation of the law from the security companies they were employing prior to the law’s passage.
Maybe it wasn't to us, but instead to the Dimocrats.bbhack wrote:It is black letter law. He could have cited it, instead of making it seem that we cannot understand anything unless the smart ones interpret it for us.RoyGBiv wrote:This was my read as well...The Annoyed Man wrote:Sounds to me like he’s trying to encourage churches to take advantage of the law. There are probably a lot of churches that either (A) aren’t sure what the change to the law means for them, or (B) a lot of churches are getting a false explanation of the law from the security companies they were employing prior to the law’s passage.
bbhack wrote:It is black letter law. He could have cited it, instead of making it seem that we cannot understand anything unless the smart ones interpret it for us.RoyGBiv wrote:This was my read as well...The Annoyed Man wrote:Sounds to me like he’s trying to encourage churches to take advantage of the law. There are probably a lot of churches that either (A) aren’t sure what the change to the law means for them, or (B) a lot of churches are getting a false explanation of the law from the security companies they were employing prior to the law’s passage.
We’ve been able to carry in Church for a long time now. There would have been no reason to seek the clarification on that. The only real confusion in recent times was people who didn’t know, being concerned about whether or not they would be able to open carry in church, and 30.07 pretty much covered all of that.bbhack wrote:I sort of read it as "until AG opines, maybe we should not carry in church".The Annoyed Man wrote:Why is this letter of clarification a problem?
I guess that was the wrong way to take it. I had no reason to believe he would do something stupid. But even this will be twisted.
Actual opinion: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/fi ... P-0176.pdfAG Paxton Issues Opinion on Guns and Security Teams in Texas Churches
Thursday, December 21, 2017 – Austin
Licensed handgun owners can legally carry loaded weapons into Texas churches that do not have posted signs banning weapons, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a legal opinion released today. The opinion also clarified that a new law passed this year by the Legislature exempts churches from state fees for creating volunteer security teams.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick requested the opinion on December 1, and asked Attorney General Paxton to expedite his responses “so that churches may know what legal options they have to improve security” in the aftermath of the Sutherland Springs tragedy.
“If a church decides to exclude the concealed or open carrying of handguns on the premises of church property, it may provide the requisite notice, thereby making it an offense for a license holder to carry a handgun on those premises,” Attorney General Paxton wrote in his opinion. “However, churches may instead decide not to provide notice and to allow the carrying of handguns on their premises. Unless a church provides effective oral or written notice prohibiting the carrying of handguns on its property, a license holder may carry a handgun onto the premises of church property as the law allows.”
Senate Bill 2065, which took effect September 1, exempts churches from state fees private institutions must pay to form their own security forces. The lesiglature ended the fees because they imposed a significant financial burden on smaller churches, such as the one in Sutherland Springs where 26 people were killed last month in Texas’ worst mass shooting.
“The regulations of the Private Security Act, including the fees required thereunder, do not apply to Texas churches when providing volunteer security services consistent with the requirements of section 1702.333 of the Occupations Code,” Attorney General Paxton concluded.