Texas Senate Passes Campus Carry 20-11

SB11, the Texas campus carry bill that allows adults with concealed handgun licenses to carry on public university campuses, passed the Texas Senate yesterday, 18 March, 2015, on a vote of 20 to 11(pdf).  The bill was amended to require that people with concealed handgun licenses must keep their handguns concealed while on public campuses.

Second amendment activists have been pushing for this reform for several years, while disarmists on university campuses have claimed that students with concealed handgun licenses, who are among the most peaceable of Texans, will suddenly become dangerous and unpredictable on college campuses.

The bill still has to go through a House committee, and be voted on in the House before it would be sent to Governor Abbott.

UT-Austin does not expect any additional costs if the bill passes.  From dailytexanaonline.com:

According to UT-Austin’s fiscal note, which estimates expenses associated with campus carry, the policy would not cost the University any additional funds. The System gathered the documents and submitted them to the Legislative Budget Board for review.

Other members of the University of Texas estimated costs of as much as $39 million for additional security.  Most of the additional cost estimate came from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center that estimated that an additional 22 million dollars would be needed.  Why additional security would be needed was not addressed.   As people with concealed carry permits are far more law abiding than the general population, the estimate seems to be created out of thin air.  The author of SB 11 made that point:

 “It is patently absurd to suggest that additional security resources would be needed to accommodate faculty, staff or student [concealed handgun license (CHL)]-holders on Texas campuses,” Birdwell said in a statement. “I think it is bordering on offensive to suggest that [CHL-holders] will conduct themselves any less thoughtfully or lawfully the moment they set foot inside a university building.”

According to Students for Concealed carry on Campus, a similar
bill passed both houses of the Texas Legislature in 2013, but was stopped by the Senate Democratic Caucus.  From ammoland.com:

This issue has been fully vetted by both the House and the Senate over the past three legislative sessions. It has passed out of every committee hearing and passed in both chambers, House and Senate.
This session the issue was halted by the Senate Democratic Caucus after the bill had passed in the Texas House.

Now that the bill has passed the Senate, the impediment of the Senate Democratic Caucus is no longer in play.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus has had numerous successes in recent years.

Definition of  disarmist

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

FL: Disabled Vet Protects Pregnant Stranger

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A disabled veteran shot two people while defending a himself and a pregnant woman Tuesday night.

(snip)

The Martin County Sheriff’s office says Anderson will most likely not face any charges.

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FL: Fatal Shooting seems Justified

Timothy Williams, 27, of Gainesville, approached ASO deputies and told them he fatally shot Gourdine to protect the woman.

(snip)

Court records in Alachua and Polk counties show Gourdine faced more than 30 criminal cases since 1996, but most of the charges were dropped. The most recent case Gourdine faced was a domestic battery charge filed by deputies on Dec. 27, 2014, but that case was dropped due to insufficient evidence in February.

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CT: More on Pitt Bull Shooting, .380 Colt used

The pit bull attacked the man's beagle and pekingese dogs while he was taking them for a walk at about 7:50 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, police said.

A caller reported the sounds of screaming and yelling outside his home on Jennings Road, followed by what they believed to be a single gunshot, police said.

(snip)

The man who shot the pit bull approached an officer at the scene, identified himself as the shooter, and handed over his registered Colt .380 handgun without incident, police said.

“[The shooter] was legally in compliance with all gun laws,” Chief of Police Gary MacNamara said. The owner's gun is registered, and he has a permit to carry it as well, the chief said.

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OH: Woman Fires "Warning Shot" at car burglars

GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A Garfield Heights woman scared off two masked men who were trying to break into her car by firing a gunshot into the ground.

The 26-year-old woman, who has two small children, caught the men trying to break in to her Chevrolet Malibu about 10:30 p.m. Sunday outside her Tonsing Avenue home, according to a police report.

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OH: Man Fires "Warning Shot" to stop fight, is Cited

YOUNGSTOWN — A Willis Avenue man was cited for discharging a firearm in city limits at about 7 p.m. Monday after reports said he fired a gun in the air as two groups of women were fighting in front of his home in the 400 block of Willis Avenue.

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MO: Guest Shoots, Kills, one of four home Invaders

The suspect killed in a home invasion Monday in Joplin was shot in self-defense by a guest staying at the address, police said today.

Michael P. Dean, 32, of rural Joplin, was shot and killed in the early morning break-in at 1616 W. Fourth St. Authorities say Dean and three other men entered the home of Austin Kitchingham illegally and Dean was shot by a guest whose name has yet to be released.

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IN: Woman Shoots Man

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (March 17, 2015) – A man was shot and killed on the city’s near northeast side early Tuesday morning in what appeared to be a domestic situation, police said.

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VA: Shooting found Justified, Firearms Charges Dropped

After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days, the jury on Thursday acquitted Monte Robinson of first-degree murder. The Circuit Court judge then dismissed several remaining firearm-related counts against Robinson.

(snip)

Two months before the shooting death, Beale fired at Robinson, wounding him in the right forearm and hand, Bales said.

Witnesses testified Beale had a gun the night he was killed, and Robinson knew Beale was "more than willing to pull the trigger," he said.

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FL: Jewelry Store Owner Shoots at Theif

PLANTATION, Fla. -

Police are looking for the thief who stole a necklace from a Plantation jewelry store on Tuesday.

(snip)

Police said the owner of the store chased the thief into the parking lot and fired his gun after he thought the robber was going to run him over.

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TX: Armed Woman drives off Burglary Suspect

ODESSA - A burglar in Odessa was scared off by a homeowner on Tuesday morning after firing shots.

Police say 35-year-old Jonathan McDonald was trying to break into a home in the 4900 block of Winchester.

He apparently didn't make it all the way into the home because he got scared off after gunfire rang out.

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Dems Still Aiming for Ammo Ban

Democrats are up in arms over the ATF's decision to forgo -- for now -- its proposed ban on M855 ammo. New York Democrat Rep. Steve Israel's office sent out a press statement condemning the ATF and demanding the bureau "reevaluate the decision and immediately ban 5.56 mm M855 green tip ammunition, commonly referred to as 'armor-piercing' or 'cop-killer' bullets."

Israel himself said, "The ATF's decision to cave to the gun lobby and allow life threatening armor-piercing bullets to remain on the streets is not only reckless, but cowardly. I stand with our law enforcement officers and first responders who risk their lives every day to keep our communities safe -- ATF should stop jeopardizing their safety and Congress must pass common-sense gun safety laws to protect lives and keep our men and women in uniform safe."

He can call this ammo "cop-killer" all he wants, but, as Ronald Reagan used to say, "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so." Exactly ZERO cops have been killed by this "cop-killer" round, which, in our book, undercuts the scary name. But never mind the facts when Democrats want to infringe gun rights.


http://patriotpost.us/posts/33946

KS: Constitutional Carry Passes House Committee

The Kansas House Committee on Federal and State affairs has passed SB 45, the constitutional carry bill, to the full House today, the 18th of March, 2015.  This bill is one of several constitutional carry bills moving in state legislatures around the country.  A similar bill is sitting on Governor Tomblin of West Virginia's desk.  It passed with large veto proof margin in both houses.  From my reading of West Virginia law, we should find out the fate of that bill on Friday.

The Kansas bill, SB 45 is about half way home.  According to the chart of how a bill becomes a law(pdf) in Kansas,  the next step is for the bill to go before the committee of the whole in the House, where it will be subject to amendment.  If it is not amended, and it passes, it would then be subject to a final vote before the entire House, and be sent to the Governor.  If it is amended and passes, it would be sent back to the Senate.

The bill is supported by the Kansas State Rifle Association, The National Rifle Association, and The National Association for Gun Rights.  Opposition to the bill came from The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Kansas Grandmothers Against Gun Violence, and the City of Overland Park.  Private citizens testified on both sides.

Prospects to pass the Committee of the Whole and the House look promising.  There are 97 Republicans and 28 Democrats in the House.  If SB 45 passes the House and goes to the Governor, this will be the third year in a row that Governor Sam Brownback has been presented with gun law reform legislation.  He signed a previous bill in April of 2013 and a year ago in April of 2014.  Prior to the approval of the House Committee, the NRA had this to say about the bill:

This legislation gives Kansans the freedom to choose the best method of carrying for them, based on their attire, gender and/or physical attributes.   However, this legislation would also keep in place the current permitting system so that people who obtain a permit could still enjoy the reciprocity agreements that Kansas has with other states and their NICS exemption when purchasing a new firearm.  

Kansas is leading the way in legislation reform to remove infringements that have been added over the last hundred years.  There is an appropriate historical balance here, as it was Kansas that created and promoted the theory of the second amendment as a "collective right" out of thin air, in a Kansas Supreme Court decision in 1905.   Kansas was in the forefront of the "progressive" movement then, which sought to increase government power.  Now it is in the forefront of progress to restore constitutional restraints.

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

 Update: The West Virginia budget session ended today, on 19 March.  Governor Tomblin now has until 4 April to sign, veto, or ignore SB 347, the constitutional carry bill in West Virginia.

TX: Open Carry Passes the Texas Senate

The Texas Senate passed an open carry bill on Tuesday, 17 March, 2015.  The bill removes restrictions on the open carry of weapons that dates back to reconstruction, when radical Republicans changed the Texas Constitution to disarm former confederates, and which Democrats kept in place to disarm freed slaves and Hispanics.   The bill passed on partisan lines, with 20 Republicans voting for it and 11 Democrats voting against it.  A minimum of 19 votes was required for the bill to make it out of the Senate.  From woai.com:

The vote was 20-11, right along party lines, for a measure proposed by State Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls).

The bill mirrors the current concealed handgun license law, except for two changes.

"We just take the word 'concealed' out in every section," he said. "Also what we are doing is adding a sign that business people can put up, if they are comfortable with concealed carry, but are a little uncomfortable with open carry."

The measure is far from the victory that Open Carry advocates had expected when the session opened. The bill does not allow the open carrying of long guns, just handguns, requires that anyone carrying weapons openly have a Concealed Handgun Permit, and allows business owners wide latitude in keeping people with openly carried handguns off the premises.

 The companion House Bill, HB 910, was considered in a public hearing on the same day, 17 March.  It is pending in committee.  Four of the nine committee members are authors or coauthors, including the committee chairman.   It has 80 authors and coauthors.  The big question is whether it will be allowed a vote on the floor by Speaker of the House Joe Strauss.  From opencarry.org:

No bill gets passed without Joe Straus letting it through the House. I still haven't seen any evidence that that hurdle is surmountable. I certainly want Texas to get Open Carry, but let's make sure our optimism is grounded in reality.

Joe Straus has been blamed for the failure to pass open carry legislation two years ago.  It looks different this year, with thousands of open carry marches throughout the state, and activists causing a fair number of Representatives to be primaried.   A correspondent activist in Texas told me that Speaker Strauss lost a significant number of allies in the last primaries.

A favored tactic in legislative manuvers is to allow bills to die for lack of time.  They just are not voted on.  It is much harder to do when bills such as the open carry and campus carry bills have such widespread support.   The House has 150 members, 80 are already authors or coauthors, so it already has a majority of members, on record, supporting it.  There are 98 Republicans in the House, and 52 Democrats.   It may be significant the Speaker of the House, Joe Straus is not one of the authors or coauthors of the bill. 

Opponents of open carry claim that the demonstrations have been counterproductive.  It does not look that way to me.  Open carry has advanced considerably further than it did before the demonstrations started.  It is clear that opponents of open carry are willing to obfuscate, exaggerate, and lie to mis-characterize those who open carry.  A certain amount of this occurs on both sides, but because most of the old media also opposes open carry, the demonization of open carriers has been claimed to be "caused" by the open carry activism.  It is the old story of blaming the victim.  Reports from the field show overwhelming support for the open carry demonstrations as they actually occur, not as they are mis-characterized by the disarmists.  I believe the open carry bill being considered in Texas will pass. It is a very mild reform, and Joe Straus is a practical politician.

 Definition of  disarmist 

©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch

NC: Son Shoots Neighbor who is Beating Father

GASTONIA, N.C. —

A father said he may have been killed if his son had not shot their neighbor.

Leon Carroll Sr., 69, told Channel 9 his neighbor was beating him with a stick in his driveway on Summer Drive.

“He said, ‘I’m going to kill you. I’m going in kill you,’” Carroll said.

Police said the neighbor, who was shot in the hip, is still in the hospital. The man is not talking to investigators and no one has been charged.

More  Here

VA: Intruder shot

The burglary suspect was in the backyard of the Alexandria home, trying to break in through a side door. The homeowner, who only wanted to be identified as Mr. King, said he was shaking in terror. So he grabbed his gun.

"It was a little bit terrifying, someone breaking into your house. You don't know what to do…I told the guy to stop but he didn't hear me and then I returned fire at him. Unfortunately I hurt the young man," said King.

 http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/28540287/police-suspected-burglar-shot-by-homeowner

TX: Homeowner Shoots at Burglary Suspect

Police said the homeowner then went into the alley where he saw a pickup running without anyone inside. He looked inside the bed of the truck and saw several items that had been stolen from his truck, police said.

The homeowner grabbed his property and then turned to walk back to his home. The suspect vehicle took off down the alley and the homeowner fired two to three more shots at the pickup, police said. It was also not known of anything was hit by the bullets.

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TN: Self Defense; Woman Shoots Boyfriend

According to affidavit, Dandridge attacked and choked his girlfriend at a house in the 1600 block of Delano Avenue after leaving a club on Beale Street.

The police report says the woman was grabbed by her neck and slammed to the floor.

Officers say that's when she was able to grab a gun that was hidden under the couch. She put the gun in her purse and when Dandridge attacked her again, she shot him.

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Update on Jacksonville Gunfight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville police say a teenage burglary suspect was wounded during a shootout with a police officer and a homeowner.

The sheriff's office reports that the 17-year-old boy has been released from the hospital where he was treated after Thursday's shooting and charged with armed burglary. Police are still looking for a second suspect in the break-in.

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Pit Bulls attack, 2 of 3 Shot

Detectives said they victims closed the gate behind them, but the dogs were able to find a hole in the fence and continue attacking.

Deputies said that's when one of the men grabbed a gun and shot two of the dogs, but that didn't stop the dogs. In fact, they apparently didn't stop their attack until Pahrump Valley Fire and Rescue arrived with sirens, which scared them off.

The first victim was taken by Mercy Air to University Medical Center where he is listed as critical.

"He was in shock and he was bleeding really bad," said Wells. "My heart goes out to him. I pray to God that he's okay."

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