Police Chief Opposition, Activist Idiocy May Kill Open Carry In Texas

By Bob Owens

An amendment to the House version of open carry legislation in Texas that would prevent law enforcement officers from checking to see if handgun open carriers have a valid concealed carry permit is jeopardizing the passage of open carry legislation this session.

Open carry in Texas remains so close, yet so far from final approval in the Legislature.

The House voted 79-63 on Wednesday to not concur with the Senate’s amendments to the contentious bill to allow licensed Texans to carry handguns openly in a shoulder or belt holster. Had the House voted to concur, the measure would’ve gone to Gov. Greg Abbott.

The sticking point was a provision that would bar police officers from stopping someone who is openly carrying just to check for the proper license. Backers said it would protect basic rights and prevent racial profiling, but law enforcement groups despise the idea.

And so a group of Republicans and Democrats – touting those concerns from police officials – banded together to send the bill to conference committee.

“The unintentional result of the amendment, which I think can be fixed, is to make it very difficult for police officers to do their job,” said Rep. Phil King, a Weatherford …read more

Source:: Bearing Arms