A measure to make it legal to carry concealed handguns in college classrooms may have been shot down for good late Thursday in the Texas House.
After the measure stalled repeatedly in the Senate, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, finally succeeded in attaching the proposal as an amendment to a must-pass fiscal matters bill. When that bill reached the House late Thursday, Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, was ready with a point of order, a parliamentary tactic lawmakers frequently use to stall measures they oppose.
By correctly noting that the gun amendment was not pertinent to the rest of the bill, Villarreal knocked the entire bill back to the Senate, where the amendment will likely be stripped.
May 11, 2011
Texas Senate votes to let lawmakers carry guns.
Editor's note: Carrying in church is legal.
AUSTIN (AP) — Whether they're praying or politicking, Texas senators want to be able to pack heat wherever they go.
The Senate voted 25-6 on Monday to let legislators, statewide elected officials and some other federal and state employees who are licensed to carry concealed handguns take their weapons into places the rest of the public cannot. Those places would include churches, bars and other places that serve alcohol, businesses and sporting events.
AUSTIN (AP) — Whether they're praying or politicking, Texas senators want to be able to pack heat wherever they go.
The Senate voted 25-6 on Monday to let legislators, statewide elected officials and some other federal and state employees who are licensed to carry concealed handguns take their weapons into places the rest of the public cannot. Those places would include churches, bars and other places that serve alcohol, businesses and sporting events.
Open carry dead in the house.
Rep. Todd Hunter, head of the calender committee, chose not to give any consideration to HB2756 (Open carry legislation). Hopefully a Senate version is out there waiting to come through.
May 9, 2011
Texas Senate approves guns on campus.
AUSTIN, TX -- Texas Senators have voted to allow concealed handgun license holders to carry their weapons into public college classrooms.
May 4, 2011
Could your shotgun soon be outlawed?
What’s the definition of a “shotgun?” According to Dictionary.com it’s “a smoothbore gun for firing small shot to kill birds and small quadrupeds, though often used with buckshot to kill larger animals.” For the gun enthusiasts, that’s only partly true, as there is also the option of using slugs. But what if there’s another addition that will soon be added to the definition? How about, illegal.
May 3, 2011
Rodney Ellis is lying to kill campus carry.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT:
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
Daniel Crocker, Southwest Director
W. Scott Lewis, Texas Legislative Director
STUDENTSFORCAMPUSCARRY.ORG
CAMPUS CARRY ADVOCATES TO TEXAS SENATOR RODNEY ELLIS: “STOP LYING”
One opponent of Texas Senate Bill 354, which would legalize licensed concealed carry (of handguns) on Texas college campuses, has resorted to blatantly false statements to make his case. Faced with a dearth of fact-based evidence supporting his position, Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) has conjured up a fiscal boogeyman, telling anybody who’ll listen that the passage of SB 354 would cost state colleges millions in additional insurance premiums. But like most fairy tales, this one is borne out of pure fantasy.
On April 7, Senator Ellis lashed out against SB 354 on the floor of the Texas Senate. Addressing the bill’s author—Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio)—Senator Ellis proclaimed, “I’m told by the community colleges it’s going to raise their insurance costs for liability insurance, despite the fact that under your bill you say they have no liability. But you can’t stop the insurance rates from going up. I’m told that one of my community colleges—they think it’ll cost a million dollars.”
CONTACT:
Students for Concealed Carry on Campus
Daniel Crocker, Southwest Director
W. Scott Lewis, Texas Legislative Director
STUDENTSFORCAMPUSCARRY.ORG
CAMPUS CARRY ADVOCATES TO TEXAS SENATOR RODNEY ELLIS: “STOP LYING”
One opponent of Texas Senate Bill 354, which would legalize licensed concealed carry (of handguns) on Texas college campuses, has resorted to blatantly false statements to make his case. Faced with a dearth of fact-based evidence supporting his position, Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) has conjured up a fiscal boogeyman, telling anybody who’ll listen that the passage of SB 354 would cost state colleges millions in additional insurance premiums. But like most fairy tales, this one is borne out of pure fantasy.
On April 7, Senator Ellis lashed out against SB 354 on the floor of the Texas Senate. Addressing the bill’s author—Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio)—Senator Ellis proclaimed, “I’m told by the community colleges it’s going to raise their insurance costs for liability insurance, despite the fact that under your bill you say they have no liability. But you can’t stop the insurance rates from going up. I’m told that one of my community colleges—they think it’ll cost a million dollars.”
Campus Carry Fails to Pass the Senate — Again.
When the Senate approved an amendment to state Sen. Judith Zaffirini's higher education bill that would permit the carry of concealed handguns on university campuses by a vote of 19 to 12, the Laredo Democrat killed her own legislation to prevent it from going through.
Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, has just under the 21 votes he needs to get his campus carry legislation to be brought up for consideration on the Senate floor. So instead, he tacked it on as an amendment to Zaffirini's Senate Bill 5, which eliminated certain university reporting requirements with the intent of reducing administrative costs.
Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, has just under the 21 votes he needs to get his campus carry legislation to be brought up for consideration on the Senate floor. So instead, he tacked it on as an amendment to Zaffirini's Senate Bill 5, which eliminated certain university reporting requirements with the intent of reducing administrative costs.
May 2, 2011
Campus carry still trying to get through.
From TSRA:
Recently, Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) brought SB 354 to the Senate floor with a commitment from 21 fellow senators to vote to allow debate on his concealed carry on campus bill. This is the same bill passed by mostly the same members of the Senate two years ago. Rules in the Texas Senate require 2/3 of those present to vote to consider a bill, and then the legislation can pass with a simple majority. Two Senators -- Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) and Mario Gallegos (D-Houston) -- switched from "yes" to "no" votes as the bill was being laid out for consideration. Lacking the necessary 2/3 vote, Wentworth was forced to pull the bill down, and it has remained stalled in the Senate since.
Today, SB 5 by Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) was brought to the Senate floor. SB 5 deals with the general business of a college campus. Six "friendly" amendments were offered to Senator Zaffirini's bill, which she knew of in advance and accepted. Then Senator Wentworth offered a seventh amendment, one not cleared by Senator Zaffirini in advance -- the language to SB 354, concealed carry on campus.
Recently, Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) brought SB 354 to the Senate floor with a commitment from 21 fellow senators to vote to allow debate on his concealed carry on campus bill. This is the same bill passed by mostly the same members of the Senate two years ago. Rules in the Texas Senate require 2/3 of those present to vote to consider a bill, and then the legislation can pass with a simple majority. Two Senators -- Eddie Lucio (D-Brownsville) and Mario Gallegos (D-Houston) -- switched from "yes" to "no" votes as the bill was being laid out for consideration. Lacking the necessary 2/3 vote, Wentworth was forced to pull the bill down, and it has remained stalled in the Senate since.
Today, SB 5 by Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) was brought to the Senate floor. SB 5 deals with the general business of a college campus. Six "friendly" amendments were offered to Senator Zaffirini's bill, which she knew of in advance and accepted. Then Senator Wentworth offered a seventh amendment, one not cleared by Senator Zaffirini in advance -- the language to SB 354, concealed carry on campus.
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