This Texan is wondering the same thing.........
I like me some big ol' Texas.
I agree completely. There should be no fee, no mandatory training, nothing. We get the right to carry through the 2nd amendment not some asshole in Austin!!
/johnny
And, don’t even get me started on the Texas property taxes @ 2.5%!
My California property taxes are 1.25%
Because the Republicans, who completely dominate Texas state government, suck.
I live in Illinois. Go cry on someone elses shoulder.
Texas gun laws were originally enacted to deprive blacks of the right to keep and bear arms. They were intentionally written in a way to allow the law to be enforced on a discretionary basis, which means that certain races would be arrested and prosecuted, while others would be allowed to go on their way, because they were "traveling".
Fast forward to the latter part of the 20th century: police in large metropolitan cities started to enforce the law against almost everyone. But, the state government was still controlled by Democrats, and attempts to enact a CHL law were rebuffed. Even when the House got enough votes for a bill, the Senate wouldn't even consider it because the governor said she would veto it.
Combining the disgust of gun owners with a wave of anti-Clinton sentiment, a long-shot Republican candidate defeated an incumbent Democrat governor in 1994, much to the surprise of many. You might have heard of him -- he went on to higher political office.
That same year, the Republicans took control of the Texas Senate for the first time in decades, if not since Reconstruction. But, the Texas House was still controlled by Democrats until 2002. So, the CHL law was written by a coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats (yes, there was still such a thing in Texas back then).
The authors made a lot of concessions in committee and on the floor to get the bill passed. Over the years, it has been improved, especially for renewals. But, one benefit of a photo ID for a CHL: it's accepted as a state-issued ID for everything.
I looked at the cost for the Texas CHL and got Florida’s instead. No training rqmt for Vets.
South Dakota (not liberal) $10 for 4 yr permit, basic background check - and you don’t pay the $10 if you don’t pass the background check.
No training. No range requirement.
However, last year they did pass a requirement that if you have to take a hunter safety course for a hunting permit, but still nothing for a CCW.
I was living in Texas when it passed, and it was a big deal. Texas was one of the first states after Florida to pass a CCW law. I think that pretty much explains it.
House Spkr Joe Straus and the Texas State Rifle Assoc have something to do with not reforming Texas gun laws.
Straus is worse than Dewhurst on the issue and meaningful gun reform won’t come out of the Lege while he’s in charge of the House. HB700 had 25 sponsors and co-sponsors this session. Never saw the light of day.
TSRA is also partly to blame. On key reform issues before the Lege, like campus carry and open carry, the TSRA won’t take a pro position. Their official position is that they don’t oppose either. Yes, but. If they made them litmus tests on endorsement, many more pols would come around.
Many pols in Texas live and breathe on the endorsement of the TSRA. They could single-handedly push open and campus carry past Dewhurst and Straus. But, they won’t.
We have a good chance of getting rid of Dewhurst this time around. Straus, because he gets a good chunk of his support from Democrats (and rewards them with Committee Chairs) will be a harder nut to crack. In the meantime, the TSRA needs to be lobbied by its members to take a more pro-active role in pushing real reform.
Dont confuse “liberal” with “Democrat.”
Lots of Dem voters in PA. Not a lot of liberals. Especially on firearms.