The Texas House has passed HB 1927, one of the better Constitution Carry bills.  It allows those who can legally posses a handgun in Texas to carry it, concealed or open carry.

HB 1927 Constitutional Carry

The next step should be a hearing in the Senate, probably in the State Affairs Committee, as the Senate CC bill (SB 540) was refereed there, and they have handled most if not all of the gun rights bills this year.

So, wanna help it pass and advance gun rights, while making all the gun grabbers cry and whine in anger and stompy feet their way out of hearings?

First, find out who's your State Senator.  There are 31, 18 R's, 13 D.

Who are my reps?

Then, send them an email about your desire that the Senate hears and passes HB 1927.  Call it by name, as that shows you are up to date on events and a force to be reckoned with, not a John Kerry rube who wants "one of them there huntin' licenses".

When you email, email twice - one to the Senator's email - this will most likely be read by a staffer or intern, as they must get 1000 emails a day.  

Also, and far more effective, email their 2nd Amendment contact person, as shown below (if none listed, call their office, and ask who looks after gun issues, then contact them).  That will be the staffer who looks after gun issues.  It's as important to contact them as it is to call the water department if you line is broken, not the mayor.  The 2nd Amendment staffer is who works this issue, summarizes things, and provides information and recommendations to the Senator.  

Email them (even better if you have on the CC listing all your gun buddies and like minded folks (ask them first about including them)), say you're a constituent in their district, and would like to discuss the Senator's support of HB 1927.  Say you feel it's important to pass the bill (talking points below), and would like to ask for their support.  Be nice, polite, and realize that this is one of 100 things any Senator is looking after.  Have your buddies then Reply All on the email, and they can chime in about it too.  Only takes a few minutes to write, and even less time for them to Reply All.

If you want more impact, ask to have a short video conference with the 2nd Amendment staffer, as that shows you really are involved with this issue.  Then with your face placed with them, you can keep them up to date on things as they move along.  The staffer won't only be looking after gun stuff, so you can help them with the info they need to do their job, and keep it fresh with them.

Question - what if my Senator is some gun grabbing commie?  Send emails anyway, to put things on record, but yeah, focus your work on LT Gov Patrick, who's less than stellar on gun issues.  

Contact info for Texas Legislature

Click on the above form, go to the Senate tab, and the contact information is there.  

Or just post who your Senator is and one of us will let you know all the contact info you need.

Bill info:
HB 1927 information

Done. Emailed and called.

Good man, thanks.

Beth Powell District 10 state senator (D).  Office in Burleson, Tarrant county area senator, not sure where all she covers.

Light her up
Local 817-820-0007
Austin 512-463-0110


I simply said "I would like to leave feedback for senator Powell.  I am a single issue voter.  I would like her to support the constitutional carry bill.  If she does not I will vote against her and I will campaign heavily against her.  If she does as a conservative I am will to give her support next time."
(what they don't know won't hurt them)

The next step for CC should be a hearing in the State Affairs Committee.

That Committee is chaired by Senator Bryan Hughes, District 1, from the Tyler area.

There were a number of pro-gun bills heard, and passed, by this Committee two weeks ago, so it should be a friendly place for CC.

But like anything else, letting elected officials know what matters to you helps those things happen.

Please contact the Senator, and ask him to have a hearing on Constitutional Carry, CSHB 1927.  Even more important if you live in his district, as you have more stroke.

Official Email: [email protected]

2A staffer: Drew Tedford     [email protected]

Senator Hughes contact information

emails sent

Definitely call a lot. From what I gathered from her chief of staff, her support for 2A is spotty and specific support for this bill is unlikely.

ETA - it's Beverly Powell (https://www.senate.texas.gov/member.php?d=10&lang=en) and she is on the State Affairs Committee that will get first look at the bill in the senate.

Done yesterday and will continue.  Let's keep the pressure on this entire next week...

https://www.texastribune.org/directory/beverly-powell/

She only won 52-48% in 2018, in a good year for the Democrats, so she's not in a super leftist district.  Not sure if what her 2nd Amendment positions are, but unlike someone who wins 70-30 or such, she has to at least pretend to be open minded on most issues.

Also, she's up for re-election if she runs in 2022.

The two Republicans who are the wishy washy ones in the Senate are Nichols (Jacksonville area) and Seliger (Amarillo area) from what I've heard.

https://www.texastribune.org/directory/robert-nichols/

https://www.texastribune.org/directory/kel-seliger/

No real reason for either to be in terms of getting elected - Nichols won with 78% last time, Seliger with 88%, so it's not like they have to triangulate and win in swing districts.

If you live in either of their Districts (3 and 31 respectively), you are uniquely positioned to help move Constitution Carry along.

Please email them, and their 2nd Amendment contacts, and say you would like them to support CSHB 1927 when it come to the Senate floor.  Neither one is on the State Affairs Committee that will need to vote it out - that said, if there's not enough support for the bill to pass, if may get held up in committee to avoid an embarrassing loss on the floor.

Contact info is on the above web sites, and here:

Senator Nichols
[email protected]
512-463-0103
2nd Amendment Staffer: Cooper Little, [email protected]

Senator Seliger
[email protected]
512-463-0131
2nd Amendment Staffer: Gabe Valenzuela, [email protected]

Put Joan Huffman on your list to call also.

https://www.texastribune.org/directory/joan-huffman/

Joan Huffman, usually votes anti-gun from what I've heard - no idea why.

Won 51.5 to 46.8% in 2018, in a good year for Democrats.

Houston area - starts at River Oaks and West U, snakes along Memorial to parts of Katy, then drops down to Sugarland and Lake Jackson area.

If she's your Senator, definitely put the heat on her to vote for HB 1927, Constitutional Carry.

Phone    512-463-0117
Email     [email protected]

2nd Amendment staffer is Grayson Coker.  [email protected]

If you contact her, ask her why she's so anti-gun?  Did her brothers blast her with a Red Ryder as kid?  

Even if you not in her district you can make a difference in her election. You can donate money, and time to her opposing candidate. This includes phone calls, driving to her district to do block walks. This is especially important in districts where they only won by a few percentage points.

Can anyone tell me where I can review my congressman’s voting record on this bill?  I’m being  told he just didn’t vote on it.

The GOATX website has a list who voted for and against. Who is your Housemember?

Only two not voting was Button and the Speaker. The Speaker because it was not a tie or close vote.

GOA page with all the details on the CC passage by the House:

https://texas.gunowners.org/texas-house-passes-constitutional-carry/

Voter for / against:

Here are the names of the 87 State Representatives who voted YES on this bill today:
Allison; Anderson; Ashby; Bailes; Bell, C.; Bell, K.; Biedermann; Bonnen; Buckley; Burns; Burrows; Cain; Canales; Capriglione; Cason; Clardy; Cook; Craddick; Cyrier; Darby; Dean; Dutton; Ellzey; Frank; Frullo; Gates; Geren; Goldman; Guillen; Harless; Harris; Hefner; Holland; Huberty; Hull; Hunter; Jetton; Kacal; King, K.; King, P.; King, T.; Klick; Krause; Kuempel; Lambert; Landgraf; Larson; Leach; Leman; Lozano; Metcalf; Middleton; Morales, E.; Morrison; Murphy; Murr; Noble; Oliverson; Pacheco; Paddie; Parker; Patterson; Paul; Price; Raney; Raymond; Rogers; Sanford; Schaefer; Schofield; Shaheen; Shine; Slaton; Slawson; Smith; Smithee; Spiller; Stephenson; Stucky; Swanson; Thompson, E.; Tinderholt; Toth; VanDeaver; Vasut; White; Wilson

And here are the names of the 58 State Representatives who voted NO:
Allen; Anchia; Beckley; Bernal; Bowers; Bucy; Campos; Cole; Coleman; Collier; Cortez; Crockett; Davis; Deshotel; Dominguez; Fierro; González, J.; González, M.; Goodwin; Hernandez; Hinojosa; Howard; Israel; Johnson, A.; Johnson, J.D.; Johnson, J.E.; Longoria; Lopez; Lucio; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; Meyer; Meza; Minjarez; Moody; Morales Shaw; Morales, C.; Muñoz; Neave; Ordaz Perez; Ortega; Perez; Ramos; Reynolds; Rodriguez; Romero; Rose; Rosenthal; Sherman; Talarico; Thierry; Thompson, S.; Turner, C.; Turner, J.; Vo; Walle; Wu; Zwiener

Present but not voting:  
Button; Mr. Speaker(C)

Bailes is my housemember. I was told he didn’t vote on it. I didn’t want to look like an idiot by opening my mouth before I was sure.

Thanks.

You got one of the good ones, it is possible he was not on the floor Thursday the second reading vote, but he did make the third reading vote.

Called my State Senator Larry Taylor (Again) and have been assured "The 2nd Amendment is very important to Senator Taylor".

I assured his assistant (again) that I've voted for him for years, but if he doesn't fully support & vote for HB 1927 "Constitutional Carry" that I won't be helping again in his campaign or contributions from myself & my friends, much less our VOTEs.  

Polite, Professional, but letting him & Lt. Governor Dan Patrick know that Texas Republicans ARE watching this issue and if they can't get it done, we WILL Find someone for those seats who can DO IT!

I have a CHL but still think this is something LONG overdue for Texas.

Thank You 1stID & DonOfKalifornia for your efforts & information on this matter!  

BIGGER_HAMMER

She chaired the commitee that sent open carry to the floor and did a good job with it.  She is middle of the road and likes license carry, just like Rick Perry.  She needs to be pushed.

My Senator is a democrat but I reached out anyway.

Good man, thanks.  Even for the Democrats, it'll be good for them to hear, and I think there were 5-7 Democrats who voted for CC in the House.  

So depending on them, and their district, they may be open to supporting CC.

Did J Huffman vote for open carry in 2015?  Remember all the hysteria about that as well, and all the problems it was supposed to cause, along with campus carry, none of which happened.

If you talk with her staff, point out that many of the same arguments were offered against open and campus carry, as are being offered against CC.

No update yet on if there will be a Senate hearing on CC this week.  The State Affairs committee, the most likely venue, is meeting today, and they have been meeting on Thursdays as well.  Hopefully CC will come up this week to get things moving in the Senate.  

We had so many speakers for CC at the House hearing that it took 7 hours to get through - 10 pm to 530 am.  It was a long night!

Senator Bryan Hughes, District 1, Tyler, is the chair of the State Affairs committee.  Please contact him and his staffer and say you would like a hearing this week on HB 1927, Constitutional Carry.  He's been a good supporter of gun rights this session so be nice.

[email protected]

2A staffer   Drew Tedford

[email protected]

I just emailed and called Senator Hughes’ office and his staffer to request they hear HB 1927 ASAP.

Excellent, thanks for the work.

Latest Gun Owners of America Bullet, with the latest status on gun bills:

https://texas.gunowners.org/goa-texas-bullet-4-19-2021/4

Also, there's an expansion of protective orders bill being heard in committee today:

OPPOSE – HB 3350 by Moody: Dramatically expands protective orders so that practically anyone could apply for an order against another you – and, if the order is granted, you would be banned from possessing firearms without due process

Use the below comment form to write you comments - main point could be that this bill expands far too greatly who can file for a Protective Order, and with it the loss of firearms rights for the other party.  Could be used by anyone for someone they don't like, without a justifiable fear of immediate harm from that person.  

https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c220

Dan Patrick trying to kill Constitutional Carry

Now I don’t believe everything the Texas Tribune prints, but Dan Patrick needs to be leaned on heavily to get Constitutional Carry on the floor, for face a primary  challenger. Constitutional Carry is a plank in the Texas Republican Party.

The three weak supporters of our constitutional rights need to understand they more than likely will have primary challengers and have quite a few grassroots activists working to replace them.

Senators Nichols and Seliger are from very conservative areas, and are under no pressure to triangulate their votes to appear moderate and squeak by another election.

One dude won with 70%, the other by 87%.

If they don't vote for Constitutional Carry it's because they are not a strong supporter of gun rights.

Huffman, from my amateur analysis of vote percentages I can understand, though she needs to allow the bill to come to the floor for a vote.

Patrick's such a disappointment on gun issues.  Open carry and campus carry passed despite him efforts, not because of them.  

I've voted for this fool 5 times now - primary, runoff, general in 2014, and primary and general in 2018.  Might be time for him to go back to talk radio.  

Anyway, keep the emails going to Sen Hughes, so that CC gets a hearing, where we can again pack the house, talk all night, and make a great showing for the bill.  Out of committee is the first step.

If you are in Charles Schwertner’s district (district 5) or Donna Campbell’s district (district 25) start calling them hot and heavy until they commit to supporting HB1927/Constitutional Carry.

Another article pointing to the Senate and Patrick stabbing us in the back...

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lt-gov-on-constitutional-carry-handgun-bill-in-the-senate-we-don-t-have-the-votes/ar-BB1fPFxi?ocid=msedgntp

"RICE University Political Science Professor Mark Jones doesn’t believe that Patrick actually has any desire to pass the Constitutional Carry bill. “If this was a high priority for Dan Patrick he would either make sure that all 18 Republicans are onboard, or he would have brought over (Democratic State Senators) Eddie Lucio Jr or Chuy Hinojosa,” said Jones.

Another example of Patrick’s empathy on the legislation according to Jones was that the Senate’s companion bill wasn’t given a low number and hasn’t even been given a committee hearing yet.

Jones isn’t buying Lt. Governor Patrick’s claim about working with law enforcement either. “It’s going to be tough to come up with a compromise on this bill (HB-1927) because there isn’t much to compromise with,” said Jones."

If he lets this slide, it should be the last political office held by this scumbag.

You need to give up reading this bullshit in the media. It is the same bullshit as Mathew McCounaugh polling 45%, it is fact news. The media wants to drive the narrative that is all there is to it.

Won't pass the Senate.  Dan Patrick will see to that.  Mark my words...I will be back to say "I told you so".

I have emailed all the soft senators listed here and their 2A staff. I will follow up with calls later today.

Till that point, if it comes, what are you doing to help it pass?  Contacted your Senator?  Called Patrick's office?  Because if you haven't ...

Good man, thanks for the work on this.

Patrick whined about open carry and campus carry as well.  He wants us to give up, so that the heat is off, and then he can say "I tried but it just wasn't going to happen".

Don't let him take the easy way out.  Keep the heat on him, and your Senators.

He is next on my list. He let it die without any effector the last two sessions. Everyone needs to lean on him hard now.

I've done my part, multiple times.  Even called that fucking clown in Amarillo...Sen. Kel Seliger who seems to be NOT a supporter.

(512) 463-0131 (TEL capitol office)

(806) 374-8994 district phone

Do your part now...

Good man, I have contacted them all, and have met with my Senator's Chief of Staff and 2nd Amendment rep on CC, and correspond with them once a week.  

Look, Patrick is a backstabber.  He ran in 14 as being this super conservative, and hasn't lived up to that.  He's had to be dragged kicking and screaming to any decent pro-gun bills - the ones he "prioritized " this year are either minor things like taking a gun into your hotel room, the no gun boycott bill, or the governor can't bans guns for the flu bill (as if some Democrat governor in the future wouldn't just do it anyway and then ignore whatever court ruling eventually came down a year later).

And this is 2021's better version of Patrick - in 19 he was babbling nonsense about banning private gun sales and having a gun confiscation law for anyone who doesn't like you.  If someone better comes along in 22 in the primary, I'll vote for them.

Till then, we need to avoid defeatism, as that's what Patrick wants, where we give up, turn the heat off, and then he can not pass CC, while not having to pay a political price for it.  

Don't let him, and the other whimps like Seigler take the easy way out for them.

Patrick's phone needs to be lit up.

Also I need any polls showing support for Constitutional Carry.  Patrick is saying that 70% of TX Republicans are content with our current licensing.

Weasel wording.  I'm happy with the current LTC program - doesn't mean that I don't want CC as well.

Good luck, clowns phone goes to VM.

Weasel wording.  I'm happy with the current LTC program - doesn't mean that I don't want CC as well.

To some extent, the more he whines, the more that means he's sweating all the heat, and is trying to get us to quit voluntary.  

And when you call him, mention how many times you've voted for him - he's been on the ballot for the LT Gov position 5 times - 2014 primary, runoff, general, and 2018 in the primary and general.  If you're like most of us super-voters here, you voted for him in many of these elections.  Mention the number of times to show how closely you follow politics, and how greatly his role in CC will impact your vote next year.  

I wasn't involved in the open and campus carry fights, but my remembrance of news stories was that Patrick did nothing to help, lots of talk about how it wouldn't pass, an organized effort by the colleges to stop campus carry, and whining from political cops about open carry.  

Yet both still passed.  

I have a line of communication to him.

I need polls showing support for CC.

I need the map showing the 20 other states that allow some form of CC.

I need any article showing law enforcement opposition to carry over the years to show that law enforcement opposition is no different this time.

Here's a link to the current CC map, from GOA:

https://texas.gunowners.org/hb-1927-constitutional-carry/

And here's an article about the open carry debate from 2015:

https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/14/open-carry-bill-poised-clear-texas-house/

From the article:
The new law would come despite the protests of many law enforcement officials, who have said that openly armed citizens would endanger both police officers and the communities they try to protect — and strain the already limited resources of local police departments.

“Right now, I’m doing good to send two deputies to a very dangerous situation,” Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia told lawmakers at a February Senate hearing. “Now when we get a call, shots fired or disturbance with guns involved, we typically think one person is creating chaos. Now we may have many people.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/texas-verge-passing-open-carry-law

From the article:
Among Texas police chiefs, opposition to open carry is slightly higher than in the voting public. A survey released by the Texas Police Chiefs Association shows that nearly 75 percent of the 192 chiefs surveyed answered no to the question “do you think there should be open carry in Texas?”

Cedar Park Police Chief Sean Mannix, who also serves as Legislative Committee Chair of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, told KXAN TV that he feels open carry would make officers’ jobs more difficult.

“It is going to be difficult for the beat cop to know who should have a gun, who shouldn’t have a gun, and frankly there are people out there who shouldn’t own guns,” Mannix said.

https://www.policemag.com/355376/texas-chiefs-open-carry-handcuffs-law-enforcement

From the article:
Texas police chiefs are urging Gov. Greg Abbott to veto legislation repealing certain handgun restrictions in Texas if lawmakers do not remove a controversial provision the chiefs fear would allow criminals to carry firearms without repercussions, reports the Texas Tribune.

If the provision stays on the bill, the only responsible thing for Abbott to do would be to veto it, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said at an impromptu news conference organized as the legislation faces what could be a final vote in the House on Wednesday. "You can't be the party of law and order and not listen to your police chiefs," he said.

Most Texas Republicans are not real gun owners. They may have a deer rifle, and shotgun, maybe a pistol for home protection but they have little understanding of Constitutional Carry. Most have no idea that 20 states have Constitutional Carry and another 16 have some form of unlicensed carry. Texas was one of the last red states (or even some blue) to have open carry.

One thing we can not do is if Patrick does not get behind Constitutional Carry, is let  groups like the NRA and TSRA  endorse him for reelection if he decides to run.

What's the point of a stupid post like this?

Seriously?

Thanks a million.

Great.  Thanks a million.

I have never seen a group so god damn fucking wrong as the Texas Chief of Police Association. Every dumb ass blood in the streets state they put out has been wrong.

Crime is not about guns, it is about libTARD DA’s and Judges releasing serious criminals back on the streets with very low or no bail. Then they double down on stupid by either letting criminals take of ankle monitors or not requiring them.