Testimony will not be heard at this committee meeting on January 25, or at the full Commission meeting the following day. We will report back to you with instructions on how to weigh-in on this proposal after it has been formally submitted for public comment.

Governor Rick Perry

SB 321 applies to both public and private employers, as well as all lawfully-owned firearms – not just firearms in the possession of Concealed Handgun Licensees.  However, SB 321 does not authorize an employee to possess firearms on any property where such possession is prohibited by state or federal law, and the provisions of the bill do not apply to the following:

• Vehicles owned or leased by the employer and used by the employee for work purposes;
• School districts, open enrollment charter schools, and private schools as defined in Section 22.081, Education Code;
• Property owned or controlled by a person, other than an employer, that is subject to a valid, unexpired oil, gas, or other mineral lease that contains a provision prohibiting the possession of firearms on the property; or
• Property owned or leased by a chemical manufacturer or oil and gas refiner permitted by TCEQ and on which the primary business conducted is the manufacture, use, storage or transportation of hazardous, combustible, or explosive materials; however, employees at  these facilities who are CHLs may store firearms (including rifles or shotguns) in their private motor vehicles in parking areas located outside of secured and restricted areas which contain the physical plant, are not open to the public and which are constantly monitored by security personnel.

Governor Perry also signed into law the following NRA-supported measures:

House Bill 25 by state Representative Ryan Guillen (D-Rio Grande City) and state Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) will extend the right to carry a handgun to your boat or personal watercraft without needing a Concealed Handgun License – a right which law-abiding Texans currently enjoy in their private motor vehicles.  For many, these vessels – especially on weekends in some parts of the state – are, for all practical purposes, an extension of one’s home.  It will remain an offense under HB 25 if the handgun is not hidden from plain view, the person in possession is engaged in criminal activity or a member of a criminal street gang, or the person is not eligible to possess the firearm under state or federal law.  Effective 9/1/11

House Bill 716 by state Representative Sid Miller (R-Stephenville) and state Senator Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) will allow properly-permitted landowners or helicopter owners to contract with third parties to ride on helicopters and take depredating feral hogs and coyotes.  This bill will help control the population of these animals and reduce cost to landowners.  The Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission will retain authority to ensure that these operations are run in a safe and effective manner.  Effective 9/1/11

House Bill 2560 by state Representative Ralph Sheffield (R-Temple) and state Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) will prevent the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services from adopting or enforcing rules restricting a foster parent’s ability to transport a foster child in a private motor vehicle if a handgun is present, as long as the foster parent is a Concealed Handgun Licensee and the handgun is “in the possession and control” of the foster parent.  This is intended to mean that the firearm could be stored in the glove box, console or trunk of the vehicle.  State agencies should not create disincentives to foster parenting by forcing those individuals to forego their Second Amendment rights!  Effective immediately

Senate Bill 766 by state Senator Craig Estes and state Representative Jason Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) limits the ability of local governments to sue owners or operators of sports shooting ranges, and requires an expert report on whether ranges meet generally-applicable industry standards before a civil action suit can be brought against them.  Effective 9/1/11

Please contact Governor Perry’s office to thank him for supporting the Second Amendment this session!  The Governor’s office may be reached by phone at 1-800-252-9600 or e-mail by clicking here.

As with most new model concealable handguns, initial availability is generally sparse to say the least, and the new Ruger LC9 (Light Carry 9) is no exception.  But Texas CHL License was able to get ahold of one, and considering the most commonly asked question regarding the pistol is how does it compare to the LCP, I wanted to give our readers a brief comparison between the two models.  The following is a quick review of the new Ruger LC9 pistol.

My first impression of the handgun when initially taken out of the box is how closely it resembles the LCP in appearance.  It’s not until you actually take a closer look at the pistol, that you find it is more like the LCP’s big brother.  Weighing in at only 17.10oz., it’s just 7.7oz. heavier and less than an inch taller and longer than the LCP.  The width is only slightly wider than the LCP and fits comfortably in your hand, and with the included extended floorplate magazine there is no fingers slipping off the butt of the grip as with the LCP and its included flat floorplate magazine.

Size comparison between the Ruger LC9, LCP and Taurus TCP.

Comparison of Ruger LCP & LC9 widths.

Another feature that I like is the fact that the firearm comes with a mechanical thumb actived safety.  Though not necessary, this is a feature that I prefer on firearms that I carry.  Another unexpected safety feature on the LC9 is a standard magazine safety.  Drop the magazine and you cannot pull the trigger.  This feature is generally only available on a select few pistol models, and these are usually intended more for law enforcement use.

The loaded chamber indicator is well marked with red paint on the sides which makes it easy to see if you have a round in the chamber.  And the 3 dot adjustable sight is certainly an improvement over the LCP with it’s grooved top rail and poor excuse for a front sight.

At the range, the LC9 handles and performs very well.  Wanting to give it a good test with a variety of ammunition, I brought a box of Winchester white box brass 9mm (157gr round nose), a box of Remington brass 9mm (157gr hollow point), a box of Remington brass 9mm (157gr round nose) and a box of Wolf steel case 9mm (157gr round nose) to shoot.

All ammunition brought performed well and without any failure to feeds.  Although this day at the range was not meant to be any form of accuracy check for the pistol, I did find it to shoot a few inches to the left at the 25 yard mark with the out-of-the-box factory sight setting.  As I said, the LC9 has adjustable sights and this is easily corrected, although not done on this particular day due to time limitations.

All ammunition used fed smoothly and with no failures.  The only failures during the test was with two magazines of Remington hollow point ammunition failing to lock open on last round.  Both magazines were shot consecutively and both failed to lock open once the last round was shot from each magazine.  I followed the two magazines of hollow point ammo with a magazine of Remington round nose which performed as expected and locked open on the last round.  I then fired one more magazine of hollow points through the firearm and it performed as intended this time and locked open on the last round.

To fully test the firearms ability to cycle mixed ammunition, I fired two magazines with mixed ammunition, and the LC9 cycled through without any failures.  I experienced no other failures during this day of shooting.

Recoil, although more than the LCP’s .380 round, is easily managed.  I did notice a slight trigger slap with the LC9, but didn’t pay much attention to it until perhaps a 100 rounds had been fired.  Otherwise the pistol was very enjoyable to shoot, and would be a very nice sidearm for either male or female concealed handgun license holders.

Overall I was very pleased with the performance of the Ruger LC9, and will certainly add this little gun into my concealed carry arsonal.

SB 321 now goes to Governor Rick Perry for his consideration.  Please contact his office to thank him for his past support and urge him to sign SB 321 into law.  The Governor’s office may be reached by phone at 1-800-252-9600 or e-mail by clicking here.

To view a copy of the measure as it finally passed, please click here.  NRA-ILA will send out a complete wrap-up of the legislative session, which ends on Memorial Day, to NRA members next week.

Q:  I do not live in Texas but work there regularly.  Can I apply for a Texas Concealed Handgun license?

A:  Yes.  You must attend a proficiency course given in the state of Texas and include a color copy (front & back) of your drivers license with your application packet sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

A:  Texas law requires qualifying with a 32 caliber handgun or larger.  We  recommend qualifying with a handgun that is comfortable to shoot and offers the least amount of recoil while still maintaining sufficient accuracy.

1).  Register online through the Texas Department of Public Safety for your Concealed Handgun License.   The following links are provided for your convience:

First Time Concealed Handgun License Applications

Existing Concealed Handgun License Renewal Applications

2).  As of March 01, 2011 ALL applicants for a Texas Concealed Handgun License are required to have their fingerprints submitted through electronic fingerprint submission.  This can be done at any of the L1 Identity Solutions locations located throughout the state.  In the Golden Triangle area, there are two locations which handle electronic fingerprint submissions.   Both locations are located in Beaumont, Tx.  You can schedule an appointment to have your fingerprints scanned at the following link:

L1 Enrollment Services

3).  Once you have completed the above steps, you can submit a request for inclusion in any available proficiency class offered by TexasCHLLicense.com.  Scheduling can be performed at the following link:

Schedule Your CHL Proficiency Class

A:  The B-27 silhouette target is used for qualification during the shooting portion of the proficiency class.  There is a maximum of 250 possible points that can be obtained, and a minimum score of 70% (175 points) must be obtained in order to qualify.  Shooting should be scored in the following manner:

Shots landing inside of the 8 ring = 5 points
Shots landing witin the 7 ring = 4 points
Shots landing outside of the 7 ring but within the silhouette  = 3 points
Shots landing outside of the silhouette or off the target = 0 poionts

B-27 Target

A:  As of September 01, 2007 it is now legal to carry a concealed handgun inside a motor vehicle owned by or under lawful control of the person.  The handgun must remain concealed at all times.  Other laws restricting the licensed and/or unlicensed possession of a firearm on the premises of specific locations still remain in effect.  Check your local and state Penal Code for definitions of additional restricted areas.

A:  The two signs that prevent a Texas Concealed Handgun License holder from entering the premises are the 30.06 sign (referring to Texas Penal Code 30.06§) and the red 51% sign regulated by the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission).  Though the signs overall appearance may differ, the verbage associated with the posting must read as shown.

Texas 30.06 Sign (click to enlarge)

TABC 51% Sign (click to enlarge)

Q:

Please contact your state Senator over the weekend or first thing Monday morning and urge him or her to (1) support the motion to suspend the regular order of business to take up and consider SB 354; (2) support passage of SB 354; and (3) oppose any gutting amendments to the bill – including any proposal to allow public colleges and universities to “opt-out” of the law.  Contact information can be found at the end of this alert.  If you need help identifying your state Senator, please click here.

Also this past week, the House Business & Industry Committee reported out Senate Bill 321 by state Senator Glenn Hegar (R-Katy), NRA-backed legislation that would allow employees to transport and store firearms in their locked motor vehicles while parked at work.  This bill joins its House companion bill, House Bill 681 by state Representative Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington), in the House Calendars Committee – the body which decides if and when a bill gets scheduled for consideration by the full House.  

Unless House leadership and committee members hear from you, either bill could fail to be scheduled or be scheduled too late in the game to pass – which is what happened last session when House action stalled on a voter identification bill that was ahead of the parking lot bill on the House Calendar. 

Please contact the House Speaker and the following members of the Calendars Committee and politely urge them to set HB 681/SB 321, NRA-backed employee parking lot legislation, on the House Calendar as soon as possible! ]]> http://www.texaschllicense.com/2011/04/senate-vote-on-campus-carry-bill-moved-to-next-week-parking-lot-bill-on-the-move-in-the-house/feed/ 0 http://www.texaschllicense.com/2011/04/texas-senate-committee-advances-campus-carry-measure/ http://www.texaschllicense.com/2011/04/texas-senate-committee-advances-campus-carry-measure/#comments Sun, 17 Apr 2011 02:56:27 +0000 admin http://www.texaschllicense.com/?p=592 Friday, April 01, 2011

On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice passed Senate Bill 354 by state Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio), by a 4 to 2 vote. This legislation would allow concealed carry license holders to protect themselves on the campuses of public colleges and universities. As you know, in order to obtain a CHL in Texas, individuals must be 21 or older, have passed a state and federal criminal records check, and completed a handgun training course. A two-thirds vote of Senators present and voting (21 if they are all there) will be necessary to “suspend the regular order of business” and bring SB 354 up for consideration on the Senate floor in the coming weeks.

Opponents of this measure will continue using scare tactics and predicting horrible consequences if this bill passes, so your state Senator need to hear from you!

Please contact your state Senator and urge him or her to support SB 354 by voting to “suspend the regular order of business” so that the measure can be debated and voted on by the full Senate, and to oppose any gutting amendments to the bill – including any attempt to allow taxpayer-funded public colleges and universities to “opt-out” of its provisions!

Texas Administrative Code

TITLE 37, PART 1, CHAPTER 6, SUBCHAPTER B, RULE §6.12

 (4) Fingerprints. Under State law TXDPS must conduct a fingerprint based State and FBI Criminal History background check as part of the application process for both original and renewal applicants.

Effective March 1, 2011, all original applicants must submit fingerprints through the Fingerprint Application Service of Texas (FAST), or by an entity qualified to take electronic fingerprints of an applicant for a license through the FAST system. All applicants must display to the person recording the fingerprints a driver’s license or personal identification card issued by the applicant’s state of residence. If fingerprints are not taken electronically, the department will resubmit renewal applicants’ existing fingerprints for background check processing. However, if fingerprints on file do not meet current FBI or Texas quality standards, applicants will be required to submit new fingerprints to complete the renewal application process. The person who records the applicant’s fingerprints shall:

     (A) verify the identity of the person being fingerprinted;

     (B) complete and verify the accuracy of the non-fingerprint data being submitted; and

     (C) record the individual’s fingerprints. 

State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) offered a floor amendment which would have required employees of companies employing more than 10,000 workers at one location to notify their employer of their desire to store firearms in their cars while parked at work. During the debate, it was made clear that the only company who would have benefitted from this “mandatory notice provision” was USAA, based in her district in San Antonio . Ironically, USAA serves insurance clients who are military personnel or dependents of such! The amendment was tabled by a 22 to 8 vote. After that overwhelming outcome, no other amendments were offered which would have exempted certain industry sectors from the bill, namely, defense contractors such as Raytheon, Boeing, Bell Helicopter, BAE Systems, Lockheed and L-3, who were lobbying for exclusion from the bill.

SB 321 will now move to the state House for consideration – we will keep you posted on further action items once it receives a committee referral in that chamber. The fight is not over! These companies will continue to fight for notice requirements and exemptions in the House, so be aware of where they stand and be prepared to direct calls and e-mails into House offices in opposition to such requirements and industry “carve-outs”.

Also, on Monday, the House Business & Industry Committee voted out House Bill 681, the House companion bill to SB 321 sponsored by state Representative Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington). This measure now moves to the House Calendars Committee, which has full authority to determine if and when the bill gets set for consideration by the full House. It will take the balance of this week for the bill to “officially” move to Calendars. We will keep you posted on any necessary action items on this bill in the near future.

This alert is posted at: http://www.nramedia.org/t/46447/4379623/2514/0/

NRA-ILA

Last week, we reported to you that two NRA-backed bills had already been filed in the Texas Senate: Senate Bill 321 by state Senator Glenn Hegar (R-Katy), legislation prohibiting employers from enforcing policies against the storage of lawfully-owned firearms in employees’ private motor vehicles parked at work, and Senate Bill 354 by state Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio), a bill to allow Concealed Handgun Licenses to protect themselves on college and university campuses. This week, state Representative Tim Kleinschmidt (R-Lexington) introduced House Bill 681, the House version of the parking lot bill, and state Representative Joe Driver (R-Garland) filed House Bill 750, the House version of the campus carry measure.

Corporate policies that prohibit workers from safely storing their firearms inside their cars and trucks parked on company parking lots have the effect of denying employees the right to protect themselves during their commute to and from work every day. State laws and administrative policies disarming CHLs at institutions of higher education leave trained, law-abiding citizens vulnerable to a violent attack and have no deterrent effect on criminals.

Big business interests and liberal higher education administrators have a tremendous amount of influence in the Texas Legislature – and they will vigorously oppose these bills. That’s why it’s critical that your state lawmakers hear from you! Please contact your state Representatives and urge them to sign on as co-authors to both HB 681 and HB 750. Contact information for state House members can be found at www.house.state.tx.us.