Interesting for some, for others, not...

[stevie_d_64]

Some may know I am fairly politically active and participate in many aspects of the political process...I do a lot of work and volunteer to help some elected officials if they need support in the district(s)...

Now to todays interesting thing...

I went this afternoon to pay a visit on my city counselman's office...

Do to the changes in the 2005 Texas legislative session we got a bill (SB 501) passed and signed which improved our (CHL'ers) positions in where we can and cannot go, basically...

I have on a few occasions (in the job I have) to run plans thru the public works system here in Houston and can carry inside the city owned building without too much hassle...

I have not gone to visit my current city counselman at their facility till today...

Do to the changes back in 2005, I was treated the same, but with an interesting (and somewhat acceptable) twist...

After notifying the screener by handing her my license(s), she asked me if I was carrying, and of course I replyed yes...At which time she went across the room to tell the HPD officer that I was here to visit, and had a weapon on me...

He came over as she was signing me in, and told me that we would be going downstairs to the lower level "P" for me to "disarm" and stow the weapon while I was conducting my business there...

Now, I have been an advocate for this type of courtesy to be extended to us for years...And this kinda took me by surprise...But, since I can carry in the public Works building without disarming, this seems to be a city modification (compramise) that I'm ok with, but it makes me wonder about a few things...But that may come in the coming discussion...I would be interested to see what others think about this...

Bottom line, for the most part being escorted downstairs by 3 HPD officers at that point to go disarm seemed to me to be a little over the top, but I played it cool to see how they handled it...Because I feel they do not see many of us anyway, so it might be new to them...After I was done with my business, I went straight down to the level where I had my "gun" stored in one of a bank of small lockers and re-armed...At no time did any of the officers care to see, handle or comment on why I carried to their facility...I was "red" visitor badged, even though I didn't have the gun on me while I was there...So there is where I feel the procedures are a little off from city owned facility to facility...

What may be intersting to note...While I was disarming, one of the security folks came over to hand me a document discribing the amendment to 46.035 by SB 501 in the 78th Texas Legislature...

"A license holder commits an offense if the license holder intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries a handgun under the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, regardless of whether the handgun is concealed, at any meeting of a govermental entity".

It goes on to discribe what they want us license holders to do when we visit this particular facility by going downstairs to level "P" and disarm and store our weapon while in that facility...

I could argue the point that I am not attending a meeting of a governmental entity (Like a city counsel meeting, or committee meeting), but an individual elected official...That is how I interpret the meaning of this statute...

All in all it was an interesting occurance...And I am pleased to a certain point about the courtesy extended to us, even though I believe it is not consistent across the board of city owned facilities...

[OverEasy]

The interesting part for me is, why did you disarm if it is legal to carry in that building?
Regards, OE

[Purplehood]

I would have asked about the meeting aspect of the document. How did that apply?

[pt145ss]

If there was a meeting going on at that time, I thought they would be required to post 30.06? If i understand it correctly, no meeting = carry, meeting with no 30.06 = carry, meeting with 30.06 = no carry.

[stevie_d_64]

The interesting part for me is, why did you disarm if it is legal to carry in that building?
Regards, OE

Because the staff there was courteous enough to tell me of this requirement, and that there were three (3) uniformed HPD officers that swarmed me after I made my revelation...

I thought it best to see how they did this and report it here for others to disseminate...

Yes, I thought it ironic that I had to disarm, but the city appears to have gone to "great" lengths to provide this courtesy to us, and I thought it wise to go thru it this time and confirm what I know most of you see as well...

I believe the application of the statute is incorrect in as far as I was technically meeting with an elected official, that to me does not constitute a meeting of a governmental entity (per the statute)...Like a city counsel meeting, public hearing (a little vague), committee meeting etc etc...

Just to remind some folks...

I do believe it is important for us in this community to legally push the edge of the envelope, not to do so recklessly, because we are smarter than the average bear when it comes to knowing the law, knowing the parameters in which we operate under the law (The rights and privaledges infringed upon is another discussion separate from this one, ).

I thought this to be a pleasant surprise that the city, in its intent to restrict us and embarrass us because we are gun owners and carriers of such, that they made this provision, and we (in Houston) some of us may or may not have known about this procedure...

I certainly didn't know about it, and had never heard anyone else here mention it before I paid the visit to the facility...So I went and took a peek, knowing that SB 501 fixed a few things back in 2005, yet, I wasn't sure about this particular facility...

So now we know...

I believe they are wrong, but that is a battle for another day...I'm sure, I am one of the first CHL'ers to have to go thru this at this facility, but I didn't do this for me...

Which leads me to what I have always believed:

"Why should I trust a politician, who doesn't trust me with my gun?"

[Liberty]

The interesting part for me is, why did you disarm if it is legal to carry in that building?
Regards, OE

Because the staff there was courteous enough to tell me of this requirement, and that there were three (3) uniformed HPD officers that swarmed me after I made my revelation...

I thought it best to see how they did this and report it here for others to disseminate...

Yes, I thought it ironic that I had to disarm, but the city appears to have gone to "great" lengths to provide this courtesy to us, and I thought it wise to go thru it this time and confirm what I know most of you see as well...

I believe the application of the statute is incorrect in as far as I was technically meeting with an elected official, that to me does not constitute a meeting of a governmental entity (per the statute)...Like a city counsel meeting, public hearing (a little vague), committee meeting etc etc...

It's just a shame that there isn't a penalty for government officials that misapply the laws. something like a day in jail for every day laws are illegally enforced, or at least pull their fingernails out