Originally Posted by ”Texas State Rifle Association”

HB 225 by Rep. Joe Driver (R-Garland) will extend the renewal term for a CHL, after the first renewal, from 4 years to 5. Extending the term of a renewed CHL from 4 to 5 years will reduce the average annual cost of a license and still maintain the license holder’s exemption from the federal instant background check requirement when purchasing a firearm. Applying the extension to future renewals only will not impact the General Fund over the next biennium, and will significantly reduce paperwork for both CHLs and DPS.

HB 225 was filed with bi-partisan joint authors, Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp (R-Lampasas), Rep. Terry Keel (R-Austin), and Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs). Rep. Aaron Pena (D-Edinburg) has asked to be the 4th joint author and is in touch with the bill author. Please call your state rep and ask them to sign on as a co-author. This is a very powerful, pre-vote tool that builds support.

Other issues being investigated:

Define the term Traveling to allow all Texans, eligible under federal law to own and possess a handgun, to be able carry in their vehicles. Texas currently has a travelers’ law but it’s vague and not empowering. How many counties do you have to cross, are you required to be carrying sums of money, if you stop for a hamburger did you interrupt traveling? This law, full of urban-myth, is what your lawyer will base your defense on if you’re carrying a handgun in Texas without a CHL. We’d like Texans to know what they can or cannot do.

Rep. Terry Keel (R-Austin) is the right sponsor for this bill. Rep. Keel is the Chairman of House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and he serves on the House Law Enforcement Committee. His background is law enforcement and the law. He has sonority and respect in the House and the Senate. At present Rep. Keel is working on the right language to get the project done. This has to be carefully hammered out while we build support.

The demographics of Texas won’t always be kind to our agenda; we need to move while it’s possible to roll back gun control. This won’t be done easily, even now.