Concealed Carry on Campus Moves on to the House HB1893
CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS – TELL THEM TO VOTE FOR CONCEALED CARRY ON CAMPUS.
From the Houston Chronicle:
A House committee today approved a controversial bill that would allow students and employees with a concealed handgun license at universities across the state to carry their pistols into a classroom.
The House Public Safety Committee voted 5-3 during an afternoon meeting to prohibit public universities across Texas from creating rules that would infringe on a license holders ability to carry a handgun on campus. The committee substitute version passed today would allow private institutions to opt-out of the proposal authored by state Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland.
State Reps. Lon Burnam, D-Forth-Worth, Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, and Barbara Mallory Caraway, D-Dallas, voted against the bill, which now heads to the full House where 76 members have signed on in support — just enough needed to pass. In the Senate, 13 members have pledged support to an identical measure sponsored by State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio.
"If it does make it to the Senate floor we also expect it to pass," said Katie Kaprzack, a spokeswoman for the grassroots gun group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. "We’re hearing that the Senate State Affairs (committee) may let the bill die. That’s going to be the biggest hurdle."
Texas Director Daniel Crocker sent the following facebook message out earlier:
The committee agreed that adult students, faculty and staff who are 21 or older, who have passed extensive background checks, who have completed firearms training courses and who have been issued a concealed handgun license by the State of Texas should be able to protect themselves in campus settings just like they are legally able to do almost anywhere else in the state. The right to personal protection should not be denied to a licensee just because he or she studies, works or lives on a college or university campus.
HB 1893 next moves to House Calendars Committee to be set for debate on the House floor.
While we’ve cleared one hurdle, please don’t let up yet! Your personal represenative needs to hear from you, asking him to co-author HB 1893 if he has not yet done so and to vote yes on the bill. You can find your legislator at:
www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Also, keep in mind that we have our empty holster protest coming up in ten days– track down a holster so you can show your support of self defense.
You can read about this bill and many others on YCT’s legislative agenda by visiting www.yct.org.