Open Carry - Page 5

Almost four and a half years ago, a small bank in a small town northwest of Houston posted a “Guns Welcome” sign on their front door. Chappell Hill Bank had been robbed five times over the years, every time, according to Bank President Edward Smith “by Yankees”. In 2010, Smith ordered the sign for the door, and things have been “different” since then.

Following more than five hours of debate which was interrupted for several points of order discussions and fights over parliamentary procedure, HB 910 passed its initial vote on the floor of the Texas House by a vote of 96-35. The bill will allow Texas who possess a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) to openly carry a handgun in a shoulder or belt holster. Eighteen amendments were offered to the bill by both Republicans and Democrats but only one amendment was passed.

The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill on to second reading that would allow people with Concealed Handgun Licenses to openly carry handguns. The bill (HB 910) came to a vote after several hours of contentious debate over amendments and parliamentary procedural issues. The bill was approved by a vote of 96-35.

AUSTIN, Texas – The bill to allow holders of Texas Concealed Handgun Licenses (CHL) to openly carry handguns is heading back to the House floor for a vote on Friday. The bill came to the floor for a vote earlier this week but was sent back to committee due to a technical glitch.

Fresh off an April 11 Nashville rally where only 150 people showed up to support her, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America founder Shannon Watts announced that her gun control group is officially boycotting Kroger until the grocer

As Maine held an April 8 legislative hearing on Senator Eric Brakey’s (R-Auburn) proposal to abolish the concealed carry permit requirement for that state, one thing was for sure—Maine State Police support Brakey’s proposal.

On April 8, Maine lawmakers will hold a public hearing on state senator Eric Brakey’s (R-Auburn) bill–LD 652–to abolish a concealed carry permit requirement in the state.

During a March 25 appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Kroger CFO Michael Schlotman said the retail food chain will not comply with the demands of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, especially as those demands touch on changing store policy to disarm open-carry customers in states where openly carrying a gun in Kroger is legal.

On March 24 Texas state representative Drew Springer (R-Muenster) introduced legislation to abolish gun free zones throughout the state of Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate has officially passed SB 11, the “campus carry” legislation that would expand the state’s concealed handgun license (CHL) rights to allow CHL holders to also carry their guns into certain buildings on Texas’ public colleges and universities. The bill passed its third and final reading on Thursday in the Senate, a move that was cheered by Senate Republicans, who are hopeful that their colleagues in the House will pass the bill as well.

On March 17 the Huffington Post ran a column detailing how Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and other members of the gun control lobby are getting decimated by state legislatures across the country.

Legislation to allow open carry by people licensed to carry concealed handguns and the authorization to carry concealed handguns on college campuses moved closer to passage after testimony was heard in a Texas House committee. Homeland Security and Public Safety Chairman Larry Phillips (R-Sherman) held two sessions for public testimony on Tuesday.

On March 17, the Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety took up open carry and campus carry in debate. This follows a Texas Senate vote to allow the open carry of handguns in the Lone Star State.

The Texas Senate passed the “open carry” bill, SB 17, on second reading Monday evening after about three and a half hours of debate. The vote was on partisan lines, with the 20 Republican Senators voting in favor of the bill, and the 11 Democrats voting against it. The bill still needs to go to third reading before it will be deemed officially passed by the Senate.

This week, Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) reaffirmed his commitment to sign into law an open carry bill currently being considered by the Texas Legislature.

The Texas Senate is expected to a bring pro-gun open carry bill to the floor for a vote as early as Monday. The move comes after the 60-day bill filing period ended on Friday. The Texas Legislature may now vote on and pass any bills. Before the first sixty days has passed, the Legislature may only approve bills on issues designated as “emergency items” by the Governor.

On March 8 the Idaho Statesman publish an opinion article by a College of Western Idaho history instructor claiming the history of firearm carry laws are based on racism.

Idaho is one of the many states now considering a repeal of the requirement for a concealed carry permit in order to carry a firearm in public. Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler supports the move, suggesting the 2nd Amendment acts as citizens’ concealed carry permit.

With support for Constitutional Carry gaining momentum in a manner reminiscent of the way concealed carry gained momentum before sweeping the country in the 1990s, The Washington Post (WaPo) has resorted to trying to stir up enough panic to get numerous state legislatures to abandon the idea.

When the Kansas House reconvenes on Wednesday, they will take up legislation to rescind the requirement for concealed carry permits in their state.

Ninety-six Maine lawmakers are sponsoring a bill to rescind the requirement for a concealed carry permit in the Pine Tree state.

About two hundred gun rights activists gathered on the south steps of the Texas Capitol to show support for expanding gun rights in Texas on Saturday. While much of the talk was about gun rights, many of the speakers used the word that Governor Greg Abbott used in his State of the State address this week when he said, “Let me briefly follow up on a word I mentioned a moment ago – liberty. In a single word, it encapsulates what this country stands for, what Texas symbolizes. I will expand liberty in Texas by signing a law that makes Texas the 45th state to allow open carry.”

While Texas has been front and center in the news with the push for Open and Campus Carry, lawmakers in Florida and Arkansas made big gains in the push for various types of Campus Carry in their states during the past week.

On February 17, Breitbart News reported that Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America lost when Texas Governor Greg Abbot used his State of the State Address to make clear that Texas will be the 45th state in the country to allow the open carry of handguns.

Governor Greg Abbott (R) handed Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America another loss on February 17 when he announced that he will indeed sign open carry into law, thereby “[making] Texas the 45th state to allow Open Carry.” Abbott

On February 12, the New Hampshire Senate voted to rescind the state’s permit requirement for concealed carry of handguns.

After a long day of debate and passionate public testimony from both sides, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee has voted to recommend that the Texas Senate pass both SB 11, the “campus carry” bill, and SB 17, the “open carry” bill. Both bills now head to the full Texas Senate for consideration. The vote came just before 6:00 pm Central Time on Thursday.

Gun control proponent Mark Kelly—husband of Gabby Giffords—described a recent video by Open Carry Tarrant County’s Kory Watkins as “disgusting.”

Kory Watkins, the head of Open Carry Tarrant County (OCTC), has posted a video message that is raising alarm for seeming to make death threats against members of the Texas Legislature who do not support removing license requirements and other restrictions on the open carry of guns.

According to The Lansing States Journal, “The eight women… asked shoppers to shop elsewhere until Kroger prohibits customers openly carrying guns [for self-defense].”

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R) has referred two bills expanding the open carry of guns to committee, a crucial step needed before the legislation can reach the floor for debate and a vote. The move was announced Monday afternoon, a week after Patrick had made comments in an interview casting doubt about whether there was sufficient support for a bill allowing the open carry of handguns this session.

Former Texas Land Commissioner and open carry advocate Jerry Patterson says “nut jobs” have pushed open carry “off the rails” in Texas.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick referred the Campus Carry Bill to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday. The move comes one day following what has been seen by some as a contradictory statement about open carry legislation. Lt. Gov.

Port Arthur, Texas Police Chief Mark Blanton went on record saying he opposes Governor Greg Abbott’s plans to sign a law making Texas the 45th state to allow some kind of open carry.

Democrat Wendy Davis, who made national news for running one of the year’s most aggressively catastrophic campaigns, clawed her way back into the headlines this week with her comment that the “one thing” she would do differently in her race against Republican Greg Abbott is to abandon her support for the open carry of firearms.

In January 2014, Breitbart News reported that 2013 had been “The Year of the Gun.” Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) didn’t intend it to be that way, but it emerged as the year gun control was defeated.