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TEXAS LEGISLATURE PASSES NINE PRO-GUN BILLS
IN THE 79TH REGULAR SESSION

Thanks to your phone calls and e-mails, the Texas Legislature adjourned sine die on May 30, after having passed an unprecedented number of pro-gun bills to protect hunting, benefit our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, further reform the state's Right-to-Carry law, and--at the same time--expand your right to self-defense without a license:

* SB 734 by Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) and Rep. Anna Mowery (R-Fort Worth) protects hunting opportunities on private lands annexed by municipalities (already signed by Governor Rick Perry (R));

* HB 225 by Rep. Joe Driver (R-Garland) and Sen. Bob Deuell (R-Greenville) extends term of renewed concealed handgun licenses (CHLs) from four to five years;

* HB 322 by Rep. Suzanna Hupp (R-Lampasas) and Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) reduces fees and lowers the minimum age requirement for a CHL from 21 to 18 for active military personnel;

* HB 685 by Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) and Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) eliminates the range instruction portion of CHL course for military personnel with handgun training (already signed by Governor Rick Perry );

* HB 823 by Rep. Terry Keel (R-Austin) and Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen) legalizes the carrying of concealed handguns in private vehicles without a CHL;

* HB 1038 by Rep. Carl Isett (R-Lubbock) and Sen. Kim Brimer (R-Fort Worth) reduces CHL renewal fees for senior citizens;

* HB 1066 by Rep. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy) allows residents of all other states to apply for Texas CHLs and streamlines requirements for other states to qualify for CHL reciprocity with Texas (passed as an amendment to HB 225 by Rep. Joe Driver and Sen. Bob Deuell);

* HB 1483 by Rep. Stephen Frost (D-Atlanta) and Sen. Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) expands possible methods of payment for CHL application fees, and

* HB 1831 by Rep. Robert Talton (R-Houston) and Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen) exempts certain deferred adjudications from definition of "convicted" for CHL eligibility.

Special thanks go to House Speaker Tom Craddick (R) and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst (R) for their leadership on these issues which are so important to Texans' Second Amendment rights!

Governor Rick Perry (R) has until June 19 to sign the measures that he has not yet already signed.

Additionally, all anti-gun measures were defeated this session!

To view copies of these bills, please go to www.house.state.tx.us.

Please take a moment to thank the sponsors of these bills for their hard work. E-mail addresses for them are as follows: For House Members: firstname.lastname@house.state.tx.us. For Senators: firstname.lastname@senate.state.tx.us.

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Heroes are people who do what has to be done, when it has to be done, regardless of the consequences

"I like when the enemy shoots at me; then I know where the ******** are and can kill them."
~George Patton

DE OPPRESSO LIBER

FortyFive

Glad for you guys, the only reason for the positive action in Texas for being pro gun is to protect the BBQ pits!!!

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As you slide down the banister of life,
May the splinters never point the wrong way.
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NRA Life Member

CombatEffective

Good for Texas. The military personnel might be able to get a CHL in Texas at 18, but they still won't be able to buy handguns due to federal law.

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Shooters' Legacy

Special sections for S&W and Ruger

Euclidean

When I posted this earlier, the thought occurred to me that the way the Texas CCW law is written, basically you qualify within two categories and these categories dictate what you're allowed to carry.

What the law says is that you're allowed to carry any gun you can legally own that falls in that category. I for instance can carry any semiautomatic pistol or revolver that a Joe Schmoe math teacher can get his mitts on.

If I was special and not Joe Schmoe and had a Class 3, I could carry a Glock 18 if I wanted to. Not that I would because you'd get murdered in court, but there you go.

But if we scale it back the other way, no 18 year old can legally possess a handgun. Yeah someone could give them one or buy them one, but there's that situation where the 18 year old can pass the range test, but he can't rent a gun to do it with.

Okay his kindly uncle says "Here borrow my Ruger for the day..." and helps him out and he passes the test etc etc. He's still screwed because he's not legally qualified to own any handgun.

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I am The Armed Educator.

Prospector

Euc....guess I haven't kept up with the laws very well....when I was 14, my Mom "signed" for my first handgun I bought at Montgomery Ward...a Colt Frontier Scout Buntline .22mag....at 16, I was going down to the banks of the Trinity River under a highway overpass in Ft Worth to do target shooting....it was a congregation place where others, including uniformed cops would go to plink at cans and such. It was obvious that I was "underaged", but the cops never said anything....other than, nice gun kid! Guess it was just a different period of history and different attitudes! Oh, for those days again.

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"Endeavor To Persevere"
Chief Dan George

JT

It was a great legislative session.

Unfortunately, the one I was hoping for the most died. The one that would have forced employers to allow CHL holders to keep properly secured weapons in their vehicles.

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Blessed be the Lord my rock who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. Psalm 144:1

Si vis pacem, para bellum

AirForceShooter

why don't you silly Teaxans just import our florida Gun Laws

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Gun control is hitting what you aim at

Euclidean

We do, generally speaking.

I keep an eye on Arizona and Florida. A lot of things they do can be made reality here after these states pass them.

Part of the problem is Texas is a huge state with a legislature that meets for 4 months once every 2 years. It's extremely frustrating as both an educator and a gun owner because change takes years upon years to push through the legislature.

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I am The Armed Educator.