Texas Lawmakers Likely To Expand Where People Can Take Guns

Aaron Spuler is a firearms enthusiast and recreational shooter. Follow more or his work at The Weapon Blog

Texas lawmakers gavel into the 2017 legislative session January. Between now and then there will likely be continued debate over combating terrorism and how our current gun laws help or hurt public safety. Here’s a quick look at recent history.

Texas lawmakers have responded to mass shootings by expanding gun rights over the last few years. Look for them to continue the trend.

Six months after the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Conneticut, Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 1907, allowing Texans to keep their weapons in their cars on college campuses.

Two years and hundreds more mass shootings later, lawmakers passed House Bill 910, known as “open carry.” It allows Texans to carry their guns out in the open as long as they have license. That went into effect at the beginning of this year. Lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 11, known as “campus carry.” In less than two months, Texans will be allowed to carry concealed guns into college classrooms as long as they have a license.

Since the law passed, a barrage of businesses have banned guns on their property. A 30.06 sign — citing a part of the law — bans concealed carry in a business. A 30.07 sign bans open carry.

A push to improve public safety could take down these signs.

“You have a gun free zone, obviously the bad guys can read too. They’re going to feel safer to commit a crime inside that establishment,” said Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas.

Read the rest of the article: http://kxan.com/2016/06/13/texas-lawmakers-likely-to-expand-where-people-can-take-guns/