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http://www.amarillo.com/stories/032909/new_news13.shtml
Web-posted Sunday, March 29, 2009
Austin looks at gun rules House weighs workplace law
By Enrique Rangel
enrique.rangel@morris.com
AUSTIN - Last week the Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow Texans to take guns and ammunition to their workplace as long as they leave the weapons in their car - even if their bosses object.
"Here in Texas people like their firearms," said Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, the author of the bill. "If they want to bring them to the workplace, they are going to do it whether there is a policy or not."
Hegar's bill is now in the House, where it faces more scrutiny.
There are several other gun-related bills this session, including one that would allow Texans with concealed-weapon licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses. Another would exempt the purchase of guns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition from the state sales tax during the last weekend of August.
Both bills were filed by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio.
Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, the author of the Castle Doctrine law passed in 2007, filed the House companion to Wentworth's bill that would allow people with concealed gun licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses. The Castle Doctrine law allows Texans to use deadly force against a would-be attacker, be at home, at work or even in their car.
But Wentworth and Driver know there are only so many gun-related bills that even a Second Amendment-friendly Texas Legislature has stomach for.
One bill that no one in the Senate or the House dared to file was the so-called open-carry bill, which would have allowed Texans to wear their firearms in plain view, just like law enforcement officers in uniform do.
"I just think that the law that we passed about 15 or 16 years ago for concealed-carry is working pretty well, and I don't see the need for an open-carry bill," Wentworth said.
Wentworth's remarks were measured compared to some made by other legislators.
"I see no point on open-carry," said Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, who has a concealed-weapon license. "I think it is publicly intimidating, (and) it has nothing to do with right to keep and bear arms. It has to do with common sense."
"The open-carry? That is definitely the Wild West," said Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso. "I am not in big fan of that one."
"It's crazy" added Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, another legislator with a concealed gun license. "How would you feel if you walked into a 7-Eleven at midnight and you saw a guy carrying a gun?"
Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, who was considering filing the open-carry bill, said she heard similar comments even from some of her gun-rights colleagues and decided not to introduce the legislation.
"This is not the time," Riddle said. "We have a lot of other issues this session, and this would have been a major distraction."
Mike Stollenwerk, a former Texas resident and co-founder of a northern Virginia group which calls itself OpenCarry.org, said he is disappointed but not discouraged.
"I am a glass half-full type of guy," Stollewerk said. "We didn't get it done this time, but we think we'll eventually get it done."
But Stollenwerk and Ian McCarthy of Austin, who approached some legislators to file the open-carry bill, acknowledged that even in Texas, some legislators think there are already too many gun laws in the books.
Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, has said he will oppose the legislation that would allow people with concealed weapon licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses.
And Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said the bill that would make the last weekend of August a tax holiday for anyone who buys guns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition is a bad idea. Even Seliger and Pickett oppose such legislation.
"No, we don't need to exempt the purchase of guns and ammunition from sales taxes, like we do for families who buy clothes and shoes for their kids before they go back to school," Seliger said.
Wentworth and Driver said they are not discouraged about the opposition to their bills.
"When we passed the concealed-carry, we heard the same arguments," Driver said. "There were plenty of naysayers who said it would be a terrible law."
http://www.amarillo.com/stories/032909/new_news13.shtml
Web-posted Sunday, March 29, 2009
Austin looks at gun rules House weighs workplace law
By Enrique Rangel
enrique.rangel@morris.com
AUSTIN - Last week the Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill that would allow Texans to take guns and ammunition to their workplace as long as they leave the weapons in their car - even if their bosses object.
"Here in Texas people like their firearms," said Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, the author of the bill. "If they want to bring them to the workplace, they are going to do it whether there is a policy or not."
Hegar's bill is now in the House, where it faces more scrutiny.
There are several other gun-related bills this session, including one that would allow Texans with concealed-weapon licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses. Another would exempt the purchase of guns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition from the state sales tax during the last weekend of August.
Both bills were filed by Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio.
Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, the author of the Castle Doctrine law passed in 2007, filed the House companion to Wentworth's bill that would allow people with concealed gun licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses. The Castle Doctrine law allows Texans to use deadly force against a would-be attacker, be at home, at work or even in their car.
But Wentworth and Driver know there are only so many gun-related bills that even a Second Amendment-friendly Texas Legislature has stomach for.
One bill that no one in the Senate or the House dared to file was the so-called open-carry bill, which would have allowed Texans to wear their firearms in plain view, just like law enforcement officers in uniform do.
"I just think that the law that we passed about 15 or 16 years ago for concealed-carry is working pretty well, and I don't see the need for an open-carry bill," Wentworth said.
Wentworth's remarks were measured compared to some made by other legislators.
"I see no point on open-carry," said Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, who has a concealed-weapon license. "I think it is publicly intimidating, (and) it has nothing to do with right to keep and bear arms. It has to do with common sense."
"The open-carry? That is definitely the Wild West," said Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso. "I am not in big fan of that one."
"It's crazy" added Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, another legislator with a concealed gun license. "How would you feel if you walked into a 7-Eleven at midnight and you saw a guy carrying a gun?"
Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, who was considering filing the open-carry bill, said she heard similar comments even from some of her gun-rights colleagues and decided not to introduce the legislation.
"This is not the time," Riddle said. "We have a lot of other issues this session, and this would have been a major distraction."
Mike Stollenwerk, a former Texas resident and co-founder of a northern Virginia group which calls itself OpenCarry.org, said he is disappointed but not discouraged.
"I am a glass half-full type of guy," Stollewerk said. "We didn't get it done this time, but we think we'll eventually get it done."
But Stollenwerk and Ian McCarthy of Austin, who approached some legislators to file the open-carry bill, acknowledged that even in Texas, some legislators think there are already too many gun laws in the books.
Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, has said he will oppose the legislation that would allow people with concealed weapon licenses to carry their firearms on college campuses.
And Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, said the bill that would make the last weekend of August a tax holiday for anyone who buys guns, rifles, shotguns and ammunition is a bad idea. Even Seliger and Pickett oppose such legislation.
"No, we don't need to exempt the purchase of guns and ammunition from sales taxes, like we do for families who buy clothes and shoes for their kids before they go back to school," Seliger said.
Wentworth and Driver said they are not discouraged about the opposition to their bills.
"When we passed the concealed-carry, we heard the same arguments," Driver said. "There were plenty of naysayers who said it would be a terrible law."