It seems like every time there is a mass shooting law makers scramble to further restrict the rights of law abiding citizens and punish them for the act of the criminal. After the Vegas shooting bump-stocks were banned, trump briefly mentioned silencers after a disgruntled employee went on a shooting rampage with a suppressor that still no one knows if it was legally purchased.
Texas however had the most surprising reaction we have ever seen.
“I have been to too many of these events as governor,” Gov. Greg Abbott said. “I am tired of the dying in Texas. Too many Texans have lost their lives. The status quo in Texas is unacceptable and action is needed.”
They passed 4 new laws LOOSENING restrictions on firearms! Thats right Texas passed 4 pro gun laws!
According to TheGuardian As he was proclaiming that he’d had enough, nine new laws were coming into force – all of them signed by Abbott, all of them loosening gun controls.His sense of urgency was all too understandable. Texas has been the scene of four of the 10 most deadly mass shootings in modern US history, including the Walmart massacre in El Paso last month in which a white supremacist murdered 22 people.
Here’s a list of the new gun related laws that were passed in the 86th Texas Legislature (source: Texas State Law Library): courtesy of CBSLOCAL
· SB 535 — Relating to the carrying of a handgun by a license holder on the premises of certain places of religious worship.
Clarifies the Texas Penal Code to make it clear that places of worship are to be treated the same as other private property when determining whether a license holder may carry on premises.
· HB 1143 — Relating to the transportation or storage of a handgun or other firearm or ammunition by a handgun license holder in a school parking area.
Updates the Texas Education Code to prevent school districts from regulating the manner in which a licensed person’s handgun, firearm, or ammunition is stored in their vehicle in a school parking area.
· HB 1387 — Relating to the number of school marshals that may be appointed to serve on a public school campus or at a private school.
Loosens restrictions on how many armed school marshals a school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school may appoint.
· HB 121 — Relating to a defense to prosecution for the offense of trespass by certain persons carrying handguns.
Provides a defense for License To Carry holders who unknowingly enter establishments that prohibit guns with signage if the LTC holder promptly leaves the property after being asked.
· HB 302 — Relating to the carrying, storage, or possession of a firearm or firearm ammunition by certain persons on certain residential or commercial property.
Prohibits residential lease agreements from restricting the possession of firearms by residents or their guests.
· HB 1177 — Relating to carrying a handgun during a state of disaster.
Prevents citizens from being charged with a crime for carrying a handgun without a License To Carry while evacuating from a declared state or local disaster area, or while returning to that area. Also gives disaster shelters the option to accommodate evacuees with firearms.
· HB 1791 — Relating to the carrying of handguns by license holders on property owned or leased by a governmental entity.
Updates language in the Texas Government Code related to the carrying of firearms on property owned or leased by a government entity.
· HB 2363 — Relating to permitting certain foster homes to store firearms and ammunition in the same locked location.
Updates specifications for how foster parents may store their firearms in a foster home.
· SB 741 — Relating to restrictive covenants regarding firearms or firearm ammunition.
Prohibits a property owners association from prohibiting or restricting the possession, transportation, or storage of a firearm or ammunition. Also prohibits restrictions on the lawful discharge of a firearm.
This is definitely a big win for Texan gun owners and the 2nd amendment.
