Free Republic

Senator Whitmire, D Houston, during his non-filibuster filibuster. I just watched hours of debate in the Texas Senate on Committee Substitute HB 910.  The Senate Committee had removed the Dutton amendment, that stipulated that the police could not stop you for merely exercising your right to carry openly, and ask for a permit or license.    Here is the amendment: CERTAIN INVESTIGATORY STOPS AND INQUIRIES PROHIBITED.   A peace officer may not make an investigatory stop or other temporary detention to inquire as to whether a person possesses a handgun license solely because the person is carrying a partially or wholly...

HB 910, the Texas licensed open carry bill, passed the House by 2/3 margins.  The bill went through the Senate State Affairs Committee, where the Dutton amendment was stripped from it.   Now, being debated on the floor of the full Senate, the debate is whether to put the Dutton amendment back in.   The Dutton amendment specifies that peace officers may not detain open carriers simply to ask if they have a license, but must have probable cause to suspect criminal activity, just like they need for any Terry stop.   The amendment is designed to protect open carriers from police...

 The group "Students for Concealed Carry on Campus" is organizing a call to have campus carry added to the open carry bill, HB 910 now being debated in the Texas Senate.    Their proposal would attach the Senate version of campus carry, SB11 to the bill.  They have 20 Senators that they are asking people to email.  From their facebook page: Please send an email to these twenty members of the Texas Senate, telling them you want to see House Bill 910 (open carry) amended to include Senator Birdwell’s campus carry language. You don’t have to email each member individually;...

On my way to the NRA annual meeting, I passed through Lordburg, New Mexico on I-10. It is a convenient place to fuel the truck and myself, so I pulled into a truck stop to grab a sandwich. Open carry is protected by the New Mexico Constitution. I was carrying a Glock 17 (9mm for those who have not kept up with Glock nomenclature). The young woman behind the counter had a streak of purple hair, multiple piercings, a sizable tattoo on her right forearm, and was friendly, courteous, helpful, efficient and pleasant to speak with. I could not ask...

 Link to video This is what astroturf looks like in action.  Imagine what the Senators are thinking.  It goes on for ten minutes, with the "activists" reading from the same script, over and over.   It is quite humorous to watch.  There is a good sum up at the end by Open Carry Texas. Dean Weingarten:Link to Gun Watch

Early reports from observers at the Senate State Affairs committee in Texas have written that HB 910, the licensed open carry bill, has been passed and sent to the whole Senate.  From Texasguntalk.com: Texas Gun Legislation - 2015 84th Session Game on, they're back. Substitute approved.  It appears that the Dutton Amendment, which would prohibit police from stopping open carriers without probable cause, has been stripped out They removed the cop stop amendment. That's why they called it HB 910 Substitute.  The Senate might be able to pass an amendment returning HB 910 to the form passed by the...

Texas open carry is moving again.  Because the licensed open carry bill had an amendment added in the House, the process in the Senate needs to be repeated.   The amendment seems to be simple common sense.  Police may not harass open carriers unless there is a crime involved.   Stopping them to check on a license is not allowed, just the same way that automobile drivers may not be stopped simply to check on their license.  Texas is only one of six states that does not allow the open carry of modern handguns in most public locations. In the Senate,...

Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launches “World’s Longest Receipt” campaign to teach Kroger a lesson for not banning guns. “World’s Longest Receipt” is a boycott of Kroger whereby Moms Demand Action is asking supporters to shop at a Kroger competitor, then submit the receipt on a Moms Demand Action website to help keep a running tally.Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts announced the boycott by saying: It’s a shame that Kroger President & COO Rodney Ellis and CEO W. Rodney McMullen will not listen to their customers and employees to follow the lead of their competitors and...

Over the past decade, there have been two reports of open carriers being attacked.   In one case, the attacker tried to grab the openly carried pistol; in the other case, the reason for the attack is unknown.  Both attacks failed.  There have been two other reports of open carriers having their firearm stolen.  One of those cases was in an area where an openly carried firearm was required to be unloaded. It is more likely for concealed carriers to be attacked, because the attackers do not know that they are armed.   The vast majority of criminals do not want...

<p>Not certain if the above is the same Brandon Walker from Yakima, but it seems likely.</p> <p>The gun was carried "open Carry"</p> <p>It was a 357 sig We think this person was trying to get the handgun by knockout hitting him in the head with a aluminum bat.</p>

The Texas licensed open carry bill has passed the third read vote in the House. An amendment by Dutton was added on the third read.  The substance of the amendment is that merely possessing a holstered handgun is not sufficient reason to detain or make an investigatory stop.   On the third read, an amendment must obtain a 2/3 majority to be approved.  This amendment reads: CERTAIN INVESTIGATORY STOPS AND INQUIRIES PROHIBITED.   A peace officer may not make an investigatory stop or other temporary detention to inquire as to whether a person possesses a handgun license solely because the person...

The massive efforts of the Texas open carry advocates, with thousands of open carry marches all over the state, seem to be about to pay off.  While second amendment enthusiasts may not get everything that they wish, they will have instituted a modest reform that moves Texas toward a return to the strong protections of a right to bear arms that it was born with.  Like the American revolution, the Texas revolution started with a distant government ignoring the rights of the people with an attempt to disarm them.    The original Texas declaration of rights of 1836 and the...

Texas is poised to become the largest state in the U.S. to allow citizens to openly carry handguns, a change long sought by gun-rights activists. The Texas House of Representatives on Friday voted 96-35 to allow residents with concealed-handgun licenses to openly carry their guns in public in holsters. A similar open-carry measure passed the Texas Senate last month; the two open-carry bills must be squared before being sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has indicated support for the idea. In contrast to its reputation for being permissive on firearms, Texas is one of six states, including California, New...

AUSTIN Two of the legislative session’s highest-profile bills were temporarily derailed by technical glitches Tuesday — one to allow Texans to openly carry holstered handguns and the other to limit local restrictions on hydraulic fracturing. Opponents of both measures say any delay gives them hope that they can kill the bills. But supporters dismiss that as wishful thinking, saying this is not even close to a death sentence for the proposals. “It’s just delaying the inevitable,” said Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth. “I think both will still pass, according to the mood of the floor.” Both bills were sent back...

The two groups, bolstered by a $50 million philanthropic injection from Michael Bloomberg, focused their attention on Kroger following a spate of lobbying victories. .... Kroger (market cap: $37 billion) wouldn’t budge, however. That August, the Ohio-based 2,625-store grocery giant — the country’s second largest general retailer, behind Walmart — released a statement saying it would “follow state and local laws” on open carry. The following month, Everytown and Moms Demand Action upped the ante against Kroger, launching the umbrella group’s first ever large-scale corporate campaign, with an advertising spend of six figures.

Tomorrow, April 14, the Texas House of Representatives is scheduled to consider House Bill 910, NRA-supported open carry legislation sponsored by state Representative Larry Phillips (R-Sherman). HB 910 removes the requirement that Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHL) keep their handguns concealed and gives them the option of carrying them either wholly or partially visible in a belt or shoulder holster. After having established a 20-year record of law-abiding and responsible behavior, Texas CHLs have earned this personal protection option that 43 states currently allow. Eighty members of the House have signed onto the bill. Rep. Phillips deserves strong praise for his...

There have been  a number of stories written claiming that functional guns are not allowed at the NRA annual meeting in  Nashville.  The New York Times ran  an article, and National Review ran  an  article debunking the claims in the New York Times.  Charles C. W. Cooke does a good job of debunking.   But pictures do a better job.   I noticed some people openly carrying arms inside the media room at the NRA meeting.  Glocks seemed to be favored, but I also saw a 1911 and a J frame Smith & Wesson revolver.  I asked for and took these...

I had been meaning to update my phone for a long time.  I probably should have done it four years ago.  Finally, circumstances pushed me to do this necessary task.   Due, in part, to the insane federal restrictions on gun mufflers, I have suffered significant hearing loss.   I wanted certain technological inclusions with any hearing aids that I would use, and technology has caught up to my desires.  My audiologist and I came up with a solution that met my requirements, but the phone that matched up best was Apple's iPhone.  So I went from a five year old...

You’ve got to love it when a corporation who’s intimately involved with everyday Americans decides to stand up for their rights.Not all corporations  will, in fact, many large corporations have caved in and told Moms Demand Action they’ll do anything they want so they can keep their gun hating credit cards in their stores.Well the interesting thing is that’s actually not a good way gain business.Check out the story below about what Kroger told Moms Demand Action and then notice the interesting results from their refusal to cave. During a March 25 appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Kroger CFO Michael Schlotman...

Straight Talk from Senator Knox Dangerous Tools March 15, 2015 What’s the most dangerous thing you will do today? You will drive your car. Today I drove about 150 miles on two lane highways. Multiple times I came within a few feet of a head on collision with another vehicle, traveling at relative combined speeds of well over 120 miles per hour. A car is a tool, an object used to help us accomplish a given purpose. Why do we use such a dangerous tool that puts us so often, so close to certain death? We consider the risk worth...