Liberty wrote:bblhd672 wrote:Alice Tripp sure seems to hold Terry Holcomb and Open Carry Texas in high regard.
It's pretty clear that OCT's agenda is progressing more quickly than TSRA's or the concealed carry community's agenda. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Maybe we just aren't loud enough.
Keep in mind, the Stickland/OCT bill, HB 375 was left pending in committee. With the passage of HB1911 out of committee, based on my previous interpretation of situations where there are competing bills, this pretty much means that HB375 is dead. It was stated during testimony by the Republican Party chair of Travis County that so-called "Constitutional Carry" was one of the highest priority planks in the Republican Party platform in 2016. So that means there is a will of the people behind it that many politicians will understand.
Back to the original topic, here is where I see the status of the Restoration of Gun Rights in Austin in the 85th Legislature based on the Bill Status Report and impressions from hearing testimony etc:
HB14: Clarification of Mental Hospital Carry - Very good chance of passing this session.
HB421: Place of Worship volunteer Security - Very good chance of passing this session.
HB1819: Suppressor legalization if removed from NFA - Very good chance of passing this session.
HB1911: A.K.A. "Constitutional Carry" - Reported favorably out of house committee. If this can get time on the floor of the House, I think it will pass there and then move on to the Senate where it will likely pass, possibly with some modifications, forcing a conference committee and ultimate passage by Governor Abbot.
SB16: Reduction in LTC Fees - Good chance of passing this session as a similar bill is being considered by the House and has made its way to the Calendar's Committee.
SB263: No caliber requirement for LTC qualification test - Very good chance of passing this session as it has made its way out of the Senate and is currently referred tot the House Homeland Security and Public Safety committee where it should find a receptive audience.
SB1934: Preempts home owners’ associations from regulating firearms or lawful discharge of firearms. - Decent chance of passing. Any reduction of HOA authority is welcome.
There is still a significant amount of time left in this session, so we may see significant movement as usual towards the end of the session. To date, no bill has currently passed both the House and Senate, not even the budget so it is premature to start saying signature bills are dead. I agree that it will be a disappointing session if all we get is no caliber requirement for the LTC qualification test, a reduction in LTC fees and permission to organize volunteer security teams at houses of worship, but I'm hopeful there will be additional goodness if HB1911 can get past the calendar's committee to the floor of the House.