Open Carry, HB 910 Substitute, in Texas Senate now

By Dean Weingarten

By Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-
HB 910, the Texas licensed open carry bill, passed the House by 2/3 margins. The bill went through the Senate State Affairs Committee, where the Dutton amendment was stripped from it. Now, being debated on the floor of the full Senate, the debate is whether to put the Dutton amendment back in. The Dutton amendment specifies that peace officers may not detain open carriers simply to ask if they have a license, but must have probable cause to suspect criminal activity, just like they need for any Terry stop. The amendment is designed to protect open carriers from police harassment. Here is the text of the amendment:

CERTAIN INVESTIGATORY STOPS AND INQUIRIES PROHIBITED. A peace officer may not make an investigatory stop or other temporary detention to inquire as to whether a person possesses a handgun license solely because the person is carrying a partially or wholly visible handgun carried in a shoulder or belt holster.

The second amendment supporters of open carry, represented by C.J. Grisham, have said that the amendment is not important, because of precedent that guards against this …read more

Source:: AmmoLand