We are in trouble in the State of TEXAS, now !!!
Texas Gov. Abbott Signs Eight Executive Orders to Advance Gun Control
Sep 17, 2019
By: Robert Davis
Following the mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, Texans were left wondering how their local government would respond.
In early September, they got their answer. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed eight executive orders to help bolster the training, tools, and resources law enforcement and the public need to provide and respond to Suspicious Activity Reports.
“Abbott's executive orders are essentially a form of ‘Red Flag lite,’ encouraging Texans to report fellow Texans over so-called suspicious behavior," Chris McNutt, Executive Director for Texas Gun Rights told Gunpowder Magazine. “This, of course, can simply be putting a pro-gun or ‘don’t tread on me’ sticker on your car, which triggers the far Left-wing extremists Abbott is trying to placate with these orders.”
Suspicious Activity Reports
Texas law enforcement agencies host Suspicious Activity Reports on a network called iWatchTexas, which allows the public to report, anonymously or knowingly, any criminal, terroristic, or school-safety activity they deem to be threatening. The information contained therein can help the collective agencies obtain search warrants and perform other duties to reduce crime.
The program was proven to be ineffective, however, in the fallout of the Odessa shooting in late August. According to multiple reports, the gunman had called law enforcement several times and told them he felt mentally unstable. Law enforcement failed to make any wellness checks with the individual prior to the shooting.
Still, Gov. Abbott focused his executive orders on bolstering the Suspicious Activity Report program.
“Put another way, 93 percent of those denied by NICS (The National Instant Criminal Background Check System) are law-abiding citizens wrongly denied because they have the same name or a similar name to a felon,” McNutt said. “But then the burden is on the citizens to prove their innocence instead of the Government, temporarily stripping law-abiding citizens of their gun rights. Adding more names to the already broken system will only make it worse.”
Under Abbott’s orders…
Order No. 1 directs the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to develop questions that can be used by all agencies to determine whether a called has information that should be reported on the Suspicious Activity Network.
Orders No. 2 and 3 direct DPS and the Texas Commission for Law Enforcement to clarify the legal standards to utilizing Suspicious Activity Reports and subsequently train police officers on the standards.
Orders No. 4 and 5 allow DPS to create a wide-spread public information campaign to raise public awareness about Suspicious Activity Reports and how to utilize them, while asking state educational institutions to develop ways of making the message reach the ears of students.
Orders No. 6, 7, and 8 require the aforementioned agencies to work with local law enforcement, mental-health professionals, school districts, and others to create multidisciplinary threat assessments, and set reporting standards that begin in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Texas Safety Commission
Gun rights advocates in Texas are also wary of Abbott’s Texas Safety Commission, a 13-member group tasked with studying mass violence in the state, but whose ranks do not include a single pro-gun voice.
A list of members include: Ed Scruggs of Texas Gun Sense, a group that lobbies for strict gun control; Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen (R- Angleton), who helped kill constitutional carry legislation in 2019; and the author of the state’s failed red flag legislation, Democratic Rep. Joe Moody (El Paso).
“This group promotes the failed ideology that the solution to mass violence is a fear of guns,” Texas Director for Gun Owners of America, Rachel Malone, told Gunpowder Magazine. “We all know that guns save lives. This is just an attempt to further stigmatize guns and disarm potential victims. What more could a criminal ask for?”
Replies
This is one of the reason I suggested we should get acquainted and get to know our local police and Sheriffs.
The more they know you the better off things will be when SHTF, or when some jackass decides to "turn-you-in" for putting a Trump 2020 sign in the front yard.
f
Can I lawfully open carry a firearm in Texas?
Yes, as of January 1, 2016, you can carry any handgun openly or concealed as long as you are licensed by Texas or a state with reciprocity. By law, the handgun must be carried in a "shoulder or belt holster." Long arms do not require a license.
http://www.opencarrytexas.org/faq.html
TEXAS GUN LAWS MADE SIMPLE;
https://www.texasgunlaws.org/
The Dallas Morning News:
Aug. 9. 2019
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2019/08/09/what-are-the-gun-laws-in...
What are the gun laws in Texas, and what’s changing Sept. 1?
Editor's note: This story was originally published Nov. 6, 2017. It has been updated to reflect changes approved during the 2019 legislative session.
Texas gun laws mostly focus on who can carry, how they can carry and where they can carry — as opposed to who can own which guns.
Texas has more than 1.2 million residents who are active holders of concealed handgun permits. And the state has no laws regulating the possession of long guns, such as shotguns and rifles, other than existing federal restrictions.
The strong gun-rights state predictably gets an "F" from the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, primarily because it does not require universal background checks on all gun purchases, including private sales and purchases at gun shows.
But after another round of mass shootings in California, Texas and Ohio, calls for gun control are being renewed across the nation.
Some Texas Democrats have asked Gov. Greg Abbott to hold a special session to address gu... in the wake of last weekend's rampage at an El Paso Walmart that left 22 people dead.
Abbott, who visited the city and met with area lawmakers, has said he'll convene roundtables to discuss gun violence, which he also did after the Santa Fe shooting in 2018.
Several laws passed during this year's legislative session, which the National Rifle Association called "highly successful," would loosen restrictions on guns in Texas.
Here's everything you need to know about Texas gun laws, as well as the changes going into effect Sept. 1.
What does the state constitution say?
Texas gun laws generally focus on regulating the carrying of guns as opposed to restricting gun ownership. The constitution guarantees every Texan the right to “keep and bear arms in the lawful defense of himself or the State” but gives the Legislature the power to “regulate the wearing of arms” to prevent crime.
By David Tarrant and María Méndez
1:00 PM on Aug 9, 2019
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2019/08/09/what-are-the-gun-laws-in...