Bib3773
10-13-2009, 06:19 PM
I noticed there is a place that covers Floridas laws, and i was curious if it would be possible to do one for Texas also. This is not something I think needs to be done right away but I am trying to tell people about this forum, and I know Chris said he lives in Texas so that could bring some members from Texas here.
Also Texas gun laws have been getting alot of searchs since 2007 when 1815 passed and on to now.
Two of the biggest changes come within the past couple of years are conceal carry in your vehichle without a liscense and a law that says you have the right to carry a firearm in your vehichle at work. If they will not allow it then they have to provide with with different parking and if its far enough way provide you transportation from that parking to work. I cannot find that law written out, I have found general versions of it in discussions.
Anyway thing is, that could be something that could get alot of search engine hits and eventually add to membership of thats what you guys want.
Just a thought anyway
If you can find the laws also post it up and we can make it sticky so it stays close to the top of the section.
Bib3773
10-14-2009, 09:56 AM
Man I have looked up several, I will do my best a little later today to try to put some of them here that way this thread will eventually drift away but you guys can make that thread nice and neat and useful for people wanting that information instead of it being so mixed up from me doing it..
Well in Florida we have the Florida 790 Statutes to cover all the carry conceal laws, I am not familiar with what Texas has but if you can find that out we can put it up.
Bib3773
10-14-2009, 04:56 PM
This is the states laws. More wording than what will fit in one post, and kinda messy
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/tchlaws0102.pdf
This is the NRA version..A little better but it encompasses all guns I beleive
http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/TXSL.pdf
This is set up more so to answer questions but it has different sections so When looking for something directly it would probably be the easiest and so far neatest to use.
http://www.texaspolicecentral.com/gun_laws.html
I may add a few more things in a bit, there are some new law stuff that i think are interesting and might actually be worth discussing, or at least looking at.
Bib3773
10-14-2009, 05:11 PM
New Concealed Handgun Laws
Posted: Sep 1, 2009 07:59 PM CDT
Updated: Sep 2, 2009 02:36 PM CDT
As of today, defaulting on a student loan no longer disqualifies a concealed handgun applicant and a Justice of the Peace can no longer confiscate your conceal-and-carry permit if you refuse to display it while you are not in possession of the weapon.
And the eyes of the law are a little more tolerant concerning carrying a firearm in public places.
Previously, carrying a firearm into a business that derives more than fifty percent of its revenue from alcohol sales was a third-degree felony.
Now the same violation is considered a class A misdemeanor, and is legally defensible if the establishment does not clearly post their alcohol revenue percentage.
According to public record, as of the end of 2008, 315,000 Texans are licensed to carry concealed handguns.
I am trying to find more on another actual bill that was recently passed, but here is an article about it. It does change things around quite a bit, but LEO's in many areas are ignoring the change from what I have heard and read, but anyway here is that article, it could answer some questions for somebody..
Texas Concealed Gun Laws Loosen
Have a gun? Feel free to travel.
Share By Glenna Whitley
Published on October 24, 2007 at 9:58amMARK GRAHAM
Craig Watkins
Subject(s):
concealed handgun lawAn amendment to Texas' so-called "traveling rule" regarding concealed handguns went into effect September 1 with hardly anyone noticing, though it comes close to gutting the law requiring Texans to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
House Bill 1815, championed by both the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, clarified the 2005 statute allowing residents to carry a concealed weapon for protection while "traveling" in a private vehicle without a concealed weapon permit.
Most district attorneys and police agencies around the state have construed the definition of traveling narrowly.
According to a study by Scott Henson, with the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, 13 county or district attorneys—including those in Houston and Fort Worth—instructed officers to quiz motorists found in possession of weapons about their travel plans or simply arrest them, seize the weapon and let the prosecutors sort it out. The questioning could get ridiculous: Visiting Grandma in another county was OK; getting groceries was not OK.
The burden fell on the motorist to prove he was "traveling" and thus allowed to carry a concealed gun without a permit.
The new law, the first bill Governor Rick Perry signed from the last session of the Legislature, now allows gun owners without a permit to carry a concealed gun both "to and from" their premises and their vehicles. Guns can be carried in cars with a few restrictions: They must be hidden from plain view, and the owner cannot be involved in criminal activity or a criminal street gang or otherwise prohibited by law from carrying a weapon.
In other words, if you're caught carrying a concealed pistol on the street and don't have a permit, tell the cop you're walking between your car and your home, either getting ready to travel somewhere or coming home. The burden now falls on the police officer to prove you are not really "traveling," which Dallas District Attorney Craig Watkins says is virtually impossible.
"If you read the new statute, it essentially does away with the concealed handgun law," Watkins says. As of September 1, his office no longer accepted most UCW (unlawfully carrying a weapon) charges that involved the "traveling" issue and dismissed pending cases.
"Actually we didn't really have a choice," Watkins says. "The law had changed, and some of the individuals could have fallen under the old statute, but it would be an unfair standard if we prosecuted them. And it's impossible now for us to prove those charges when we get them. Now it makes it the responsibility of the state to disprove that a person is on their way to or from their car, and that's pretty difficult to prove. It does a disservice to law enforcement. They have to prove this person was not on their way to somewhere. Why should they even bother [to arrest them]? I see it as a possibility for a lot of individuals with criminal intent to be carrying weapons."
The change has some police officers grumbling.
"It's insane," says one Dallas officer, who asked not to be named. "They basically destroyed the concealed gun law. We're letting drug dealers with Glocks under the seat go and say have a nice day. In the past we could have charged them at least with a weapons violation and confiscated the gun. Texas is wide open now. It's a huge story. This has just gone under everyone's radar."
Though felons are prohibited from carrying a concealed weapon, the officer says most police officers can't do thorough criminal background checks during traffic stops.
The officer says that Dallas patrol cops have received no information or training on the change in the law. A call to the Dallas police media office prompted puzzlement. "No one's told us," says Sergeant Gil Cerda. "We have yet to receive a legal briefing on that."
The Mesquite Police Department has informed its officers about the change, says a department spokesman, as has the Plano Police Department. Rick McDonald, public information officer for Plano, says that the change in the law may be more far-reaching than its supporters intended.
"It's a law for honest people and good citizens to stand their ground," McDonald says. "Now you can defend yourself in a carjacking. You don't have to retreat."
He says the Dallas Observer is the first media outlet to ask him about the change.
"Some of the smaller agencies may not know about this," McDonald says. Because Plano P.D. has an in-house lawyer who keeps officers up to speed on legal issues, most Plano officers have already had in-service training on this and other new laws, McDonald says. (The last session of the Texas Legislature was good for gun owners. The so-called "castle doctrine" was also modified and now gives citizens more leeway in the use of deadly force to protect one's home or place of business. It also limits the ability of criminals to sue for damages.)
"There's a lot more to this concealed weapon thing," McDonald says. "I work some off-duty at a church, and they have posted 'no gun' signs. A lot more employers need to be brought up to speed. I expect more employers and businesses to come out with rules" limiting possession of firearms on the premises.
Another unintended consequence, says McDonald, is the likelihood that more weapons, stuck in glove compartments or under seats, will be stolen from cars.
MARK GRAHAM
Craig Watkins
Subject(s):
concealed handgun lawThe ramifications will take a while to percolate through the system. But the bottom line is: "If you've got a car," says a Dallas officer, "you can carry a gun."
Of course, convincing a cop you were walking directly between your car and home when you're parked 20 miles from your house may be a stretch. Try telling them you're just extremely health-conscious.
I will try to find some more a little later if need be.
anthony20031
10-14-2009, 05:31 PM
Wow you couldn't get a CWL if you had defaulted on a student loan lololol
Chris
10-15-2009, 06:16 AM
ill put together a subforum and post all applicable laws tom.
gees....impatient
JaxChris
10-15-2009, 08:25 AM
Wow you couldn't get a CWL if you had defaulted on a student loan lololol
You can't get a license in Mass if you have a bad check, even if it's past the statute of limitations (10 years old). They have 50 ways up there to brand regular people "criminals" so they can ban them from licenses or even ownership. Very "controlled" up there.
anthony20031
10-15-2009, 10:08 AM
Interesting....all my family lives in Mass but really haven't looked at the laws there since I haven't lived there for a good 9 years. Lived in gun friendly states - Vermont and Florida