http://www.statesman.com/opinion/under- ... 28119.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
In addition, as stated in the article that: "This editorial has been updated to correct that the Legislature, not Preservation Board, has authority to ban guns at Capitol."Leave it to lobbyists and journalists (two of America's most beloved demographics) to find a way to game the beefed-up security system at the Texas Capitol.
And while helping themselves, they've helped everyone see the full folly of what is now going on at the building when it comes to guns.
Back in April, the State Preservation Board, over the opposition of Gov. Rick Perry, its chairman, voted to install metal detectors at the Capitol in the wake of a shooting incident outside the building in which nobody was hurt.
We, reluctantly, are on record as supporting the use of metal detectors. We don't like it but view it is a sad nod to the reality of life in a society in which there are too many guns in the hands of too many people who shouldn't have guns.
So we applaud the Preservation Board for the metal detector decision. But board members expressed no support for making the Capitol a no-gun zone — like all courthouses and schools around the state. It remains perfectly legal to carry a loaded rifle into the Capitol. We hope such a move would raise some eyebrows and catch the attention of security folks, but it's legal.
And so is carrying a concealed weapon for folks who have concealed handgun licenses. Why anybody needs to carry a concealed handgun in the Capitol is beyond us, but, we suppose, there might be a tourist or two who pack their pistols along with their cameras, maps and sunscreen.
Here's where the nonsense (and the lobbyists and journalists) comes into play. Under the system now in place at the Capitol, metal detectors are in place to screen out illegal weapons — including concealed handguns carried by folks without concealed handgun licenses.
But if you have a CHL, you get to bypass the metal detectors and whatever lines might form at them. So if you tell the folks who are checking for concealed guns that you legally have a concealed gun, they wave you in. And that makes the cost of a CHL a sound investment for folks like lobbyists and journalists who are frequently in and out of the Capitol, especially when the Legislature is in session.
The American-Statesman's Mike Ward recently reported about lobbyists arming up for the session by taking the concealed handgun course. Many have no interest in carrying a weapon.
This isn't about shooting. This is about shooting past the lines at the metal detectors.
"For 140 bucks, plus a $2 handling fee, it's worth it," lobbyist Bill Miller said recently after completing the course.
Journalists, including some at the Statesman, are planning to take the course for the same reason.
Crazy, isn't it? Who would have thought the concealed handgun law ever would have anything to do with expedited entry to the Capitol?
We understand the attempted logic behind what is going on. Anyone who has a CHL has undergone a criminal background check, so there is no need to worry about them carrying a gun in the Capitol.
In another reminder of the nonsense of the new system, Ward reported Friday that many state employees — who don't have to go through the metal detectors — do not go through criminal background checks.
Here's the simple solution. Lawmakers should give the State Preservation Board the authority to end this folly by banning guns — concealed or otherwise — in the Capitol. It's the right and safe thing to do.
Even better, the Legislature should ban guns at the Capitol
We promise, we won't think anyone who takes such action would be any less Texan for doing so.
So with that said, I believe the system in place needs to be removed, and (unfortunately) a proper legislative process needs to be implemented to correct the problem...But once the metal detectors are removed,then I actually see no problem then...At which point I will shut up, and get on to bigger and better things to help resolve in my own special way...
I'm such a stinker!!!
That will be interesting. They'll probably not be carrying, show their license, and when directed over to the other line, make this face ... 
