Hi Y’all and Welcome to Texas!! Did you bring your handgun, sidearm or rifle with you?? If you didn’t just drop by one of our local gun stores and pick one up!!
That’s Right! Only 10 States currently have “Constitutional Carry” but we in Texas Aim to be the Next One on the Gun Toten Target in the United States. This is just the latest of new pieces of Legislation hoping to be voted on when the next Texas Legislative Session Begins. House Bill 375 would give all Texans the right to openly carry a firearm — with or without a permit. If passed, Texas would be the 11th state to allow "constitutional carry."
House Bill 375 — authored by State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford — is known as “constitutional carry” and it would make the licensing process and classes to obtain a permit optional. The idea, according to Stickland, is that Texans shouldn’t be forced to take a course and pay a fee to exercise their Second Amendment rights. If passed, Texas would be the 11th state to allow constitutional carry.
A number of Texas Democrats oppose the proposal. And Moms Demand Action, a group that advocates for tighter gun control, will fight the constitutional carry proposal, according to spokeswoman, Nicole Golden of Austin. Under Stickland's bill, there would be no way to tell whether people carrying handguns in public have a permit or have been trained.
This is what Rep. Jonathan Strickland and a majority of Republican State Representatives believe. “Carrying a firearm is a is a big personal responsibility, and taking a couple of classes for a couple of hours doesn’t mean you’re necessarily ready to carry,” said Stickland. “For most gun owners, they put more time and training into it than the state mandates. We just think its time to restore the constitutional rights to Texas.” “This isn’t a fringe issue. This has become the norm and Texas needs to catch up with the rest of the nation on the Second Amendment.”— State Rep. Jonathan Stickland.
Stickland is not alone among lawmakers wanting to make handguns easier for Texans to obtain and purchase. Within the first month of bill filing for the 2017 legislative session, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, each filed bills that would eliminate any fees needed to obtain a license to carry. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a Nov. 30 news release he “strongly support[s]” Nichols’ legislation — Senate Bill 16 — and his “dedication and leadership to further support Second Amendment Rights."
"Texas has one of the highest license to carry fees in the country,” Patrick wrote of the roughly $140 Lone Star State residents must pay for an application fee, assuming they don’t qualify for discounts. “SB 16 will make lawful carry more affordable for law abiding citizens across the state. No Texan should be deprived of their right to self-protection because of onerous licensing fees imposed by the state.”
Patrick’s words were echoed by Abbott's spokeswoman, who said in a statement that Texas shouldn’t impose a fee on those wanting to obtain a license to carry.
“The governor believes Texans shouldn't have to pay a price to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and he looks forward to signing legislation that will achieve that goal,” said Matthews.
This is the mentality that we deal with in Texas with our Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General. It is also echoed by the majority of Republican Politicians in Texas.
What is amazing is that major Road Rage incidents are on the rise over the past few years involving guns, and children and grandchildren are finding guns in their homes and are shooting a sibling or childhood friend and having to deal with the trauma. These incidents should cause the majority of Texans to be horrified that this legislation could become law.
I have listed the links so that you can contact your state congressman or senator below. Please take the time to find out your district number if you do not know it and call your Representative. Link to the Texas Congress/House Directory www.txdirectory.com/...and the link to the Texas Senate Directory www.txdirectory.com/… Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s contacts gov.texas.gov/… & www.txdirectory.com/… and Lt.Gov. Dan Patricks contacts www.ltgov.state.tx.us/… . If you do not know who your representative is you can find them at this link www.house.state.tx.us/….
Please help nip House Bill 375 in the bud. Contact your Representatives immediately and stay in contact to make sure this bill never becomes law.
THANKS! A CONCERNED PARENT AND GRANDPARENT WHO CARES ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN AND EVERY LIFE IN TEXAS!