Search found 1 match

by Charles L. Cotton
Fri Aug 21, 2015 11:15 am
Forum: Good Guys United
Topic: A New Approach to a Decades-Old Injustice
Replies: 11
Views: 14896

A New Approach to a Decades-Old Injustice

[Reprinted with permission from Texas Firearms Coalition]

Twenty Years of Progress:

Over the last two decades, Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees have established a track record proving that they are the most law-abiding of Texans. Their enviable record is even better than Texas law enforcement officers who also have an excellent record. Not long after concealed carry passed in 1995 (SB60), the public, and some in law enforcement who predicted death on a Biblical scale, came to realize that all of the dire consequences preached by the media and anti-gun groups were nothing more than boogeyman stories. Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHLs) quickly became a non-issue with some in law enforcement even calling a CHL a “good guy card.”

Numerous officers have noted that “when a stranger hands me their Concealed Handgun License, I immediately know more about that person than I do everyone else I come in contact with who does not have a Concealed Handgun License.” One officer was heard to jokingly exclaim, “heck, you guys even have to pay your taxes and child support, we (COPS) don’t even have to do that!” The officer’s choice of words was intended to be humorous, but his message was clear – neither peace officers nor the public have anything to fear from CHLs. None of this came as a surprise to those of us who worked diligently to pass CHL in Texas and to improve it over the ensuing two decades.

Over that same 20 years, the NRA and TSRA have been able to pass numerous bills expanding gun rights in Texas and have killed many more bills that would have infringed in the Second Amendment. They have done so by drafting and promoting bills that many people claimed would never pass, but they were wrong. Texans saw the NRA and TSRA pass bills preventing cities and towns from regulating firearm ownership and usage as is the bane of most New England states. We passed a bill providing protection from frivolous lawsuits against firearms and ammunition manufactures and dealers that were filed by antigun organizations solely to drive those companies out of business with staggering legal fees. Thanks to the NRA, Texans will never suffer the confiscation of their firearms or ammo during times of natural disaster, as was seen in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Texans can defend themselves against deadly predators without worrying about trying to survive the legal system, because the NRA and TSRA passed our greatly expanded version of a “Castle Doctrine” bill in 2007 (SB378). That same year, we also passed the Motorist Protection Act that allows a person to carry a handgun in their motor vehicle without having to get a Texas Concealed Handgun License. Numerous other improvements to Texas gun laws have resulted from the tireless work and dedication of the NRA and TSRA over the last two decades. Any honest evaluation of the political and legislative progress in terms of gun rights in Texas reveal that the last twenty years have seen tremendous success in terms of advancing Second Amendment rights for Texans.

A glaring injustice:

In spite of all of our success, there remains a glaring injustice and a potentially deadly one at that. At the time Senate Bill 60 passed in 1995, it was considered by some as both a revolutionary and radical concept. This opinion was even held by some of the Bill’s supporters in the Texas Legislature. In order to pass SB 60, it was necessary to include many provisions that were ultimately determined to be unnecessary. Among these provisions included the designation of various locations as being off-limits to CHLs carrying self-defense handguns. We are no longer dealing with an unknown quantity as we were twenty years ago when SB 60 passed. We have the benefit of a track record that spans two decades and clearly proves all Texas CHL holders are trustworthy. In spite of this clear and convincing evidence, numerous off-limits areas still exist for CHLs.

The problems with prohibiting CHL from carrying self-defense handguns in certain areas are many. Obviously, they deny the most law-abiding of Texans the ability to protect their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. Such restrictions not only disarm the CHL while in the specified venue, but also on the way to and from the off-limits areas. It would be highly unlikely that a person would need their handgun to defend against a deadly attack while in NRG Stadium watching a Houston Texans football game. However, the parking lot around the stadium has been the scene of numerous assaults, rapes and even murder since the Astrodome was built in 1965.

Lack of focus:
Since CHL’s have such a great track record and forcing them to leave their guns in their cars (subjecting them to being stolen) creates a potential danger, why then has there been no progress in repealing these unnecessary off-limits areas? Focus, or lack thereof, is the problem. During every a legislative session, the NRA and TSRA must promote several bills. We do not have the luxury of promoting only one bill because we have to address multiple issues of importance to our Members. To focus solely on one bill or issue would leave hundreds of thousands of Members without effective legislative representation in Austin. The NRA and TSRA simply cannot let that happen, regardless how important a single may be in terms of its impact on Texas gun owners.

CHL’s United:
The importance of the off-limits issue has prompted the Texas Firearms Coalition to start a grassroots movement called “CHL’s United.” This movement has but one goal; repealing all off-limits areas that currently force law-abiding CHL’s to leave their self-defense handguns behind when entering these locations. In politics, numbers control everything. If the majority of Texas CHLs support the CHL’s United movement, then we would be a political force never before seen in Austin. Single-issue groups have proven successful in national politics, but only when they are well-organized, well-funded, and present their message and demands in a statesmanlike manner. Clinched fists, hollows threats and counterproductive tactics that turn both the public and the media against the issue are not the hallmark of experience in the legislative arena. CHL’s United will be run in a manner that is typical of almost one million Texas Concealed Licensees. That is, with respect toward our friends and opponents, honesty with legislators, the public and the media, and with a relentless dedication to completing our one and only task.

Join the CHL’s United movement and get all of your friends and family to join. Let us make 2017 the year that Texas CHLs are finally recognized for their excellent record by removing unnecessary and dangerous restrictions on the ability to protect their lives.

Join the CHLs United movement!

Return to “A New Approach to a Decades-Old Injustice”