I haven't posted anything lately, because I suspect that this board is being read by some that I don't want them knowing everything that I know. That is probably not a concern any longer. I have been back to Frankfort every day this week. Today is day 50 of the 60 day legislative session. In order for this bill to pass it would have to be heard in committee, approved and sent to the floor, then it would have to be passed by the full house and then sent to the senate where it would have to go through the same process from the start. All of this would have to be done in the next 10 working days. Committees generally meet once a week. The Judiciary Committee meets on Tuesdays. There are 124 bills assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, HB 531 is just one of those 124. Usually 4 or 5 bills will be considered at each committee meeting. On top of all of this is the fact that the democrats control the committees and the chairman of that particular committee is very anti gun. He may allow a lot of bills through his committee, but it is unlikely he will allow this one through. All of this means that the chances of this bill being heard are very, very slim. It is not impossible, but very unlikely. Things will move very fast in the next few days. Many more bills will be passed in the next 10 days than have been passed in the last 50. That is the way the process works. Committees will meet more often that normal and more bills will be heard at each meeting. That could help, but I am not encouraged.
I know that nobody wants to hear about "next year", we hear too much of that, but that is what we are left with. Hopefully, we can take the next 9 months and get this bill right from the beginning and have more success. Nobody likes these changes in the middle of the stream. It takes too much time and work. It just looks shoddy. We all have to remember that passing a good bill does not begin in Frankfort, early in January. It begins at your local precinct on election day, in November. If we had a friendly committee in a friendly house, this bill could be passed in 2 or 3 days. We don't have that. Even if your Representative is very pro gun, he has to go, if he is a democrat (he could always switch parties). If you like your Representative and he is a democrat, tell him to change parties or you will be forced to work for his defeat, and do it. The only way we can get the committee chairmanships out of the control of the democrats is to make them the minority party, by one means or another. We can't beat individuals like Darryl Owens, because the people of his district don't want bills like this passed and they will keep electing him. When the republicans get control of the house, they will put a republican in as chairmen of the committees. Then we will have a chance. If we keep electing democrats, even pro gun democrats, people like Owens will keep control of the committees and our bills will go nowhere.
