AUSTIN – Despite Texas’ cowboy image and its reputation as a Second Amendment-friendly state, in recent legislative sessions a high-profile pro-gun bill hasn’t made it to the finish line.
Now the fate of the proposal which would allow Texans with concealed gun permits to carry their firearms on college campuses faces an additional hurdle.
So far, it lacks an author and a sponsor who can convince their fellow legislators the bill is good for law-abiding citizens.
Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, the author of last year’s bill, said if re-elected, he probably won’t file a similar proposal when the 83 rd Legislature convenes in January.
“I’m not sure I’ll carry it again,” Wentworth said in a debate with two challengers he’s facing in the Republican primary. “Sometimes it’s just as well to let someone else handle a bill that you have handled a couple of sessions as I have done.”
And Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, the bill’s sponsor in the House, is not seeking re-election, mainly because of a scandal.
Driver recently pleaded guilty to a double-dipping charge, a year after the Associated Press reported he had billed the state tens of thousands of dollars for traveling expenses his campaign funds had already paid for.
Although the bills Wentworth and Driver filed had dozens of co-signers, so far no one has come forward saying he or she will carry the legislation next time.
However, some of those co-signers say this does not necessarily mean there won’t be a concealed carry bill in 2013.
“The reason we don’t hear much about this bill is because of the election,” said Rep. John Frullo, R-Lubbock. “But I think after the election there’ll be others who’ll want to carry it.”
Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo, said, “This bill had so much support in many regions of the state that it’s hard to imagine that no one would introduce it next year.”
For Rep. Raul Torres, R-Corpus Christi, despite the support the concealed guns on campuses legislation had in last year’s session, it didn’t pass because, responding to pressure from influential university presidents, some legislative leaders didn’t want the bill to pass.
Torres was referring to schools such as the University of Texas and the University of Houston whose leaders lobbied against Wentworth’s bill.
Such opposition led to Democratic Sens. Mario Gallegos of Houston and Eddie Lucio of Brownsville to withdraw their support for the legislation at the last minute, in essence killing the bill because Wentworth no longer had the votes to pass it.
But despite the last-minute killing of the legislation, Torres said he also believes a similar proposal will be filed when the Legislature is back in session.
Marsha McCartney, president of the Dallas-based North Texas Chapter of the Brady Campaign, a nationwide organization in favor of gun ownership restrictions, said she is glad to hear Wentworth does not plan file the guns on campuses bill next year.
“I think he finally realizes that there are too many folks who don’t think carrying guns on college campuses is a good idea,” McCartney said. And she is even happier Driver is stepping down.
Nonetheless, like the backers of the proposed legislation, McCartney is not writing off the bill, either.
“We’ll be ready to fight it, college presidents and us,” she said. “There’ll be too much opposition to ignore it.”
Mike Stollenwerk of Northern Virginia, director and co-founder of OpenCarry.org, a group in favor of state laws permitting gun owners to carry their firearms in public view, said though he also expects someone else will file the concealed carry bill in the Texas Legislature, he is not getting his hopes high.
After all, in recent sessions the bill came up short at the last minute, even though Wentworth and Driver are experienced legislators.
But sooner or later the bill will become law, just like in other states, Stollenwerk predicted.
“This bill will keep coming back until it finally passes,” he said.
http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-02-19/guns-campus-bill-faces-another-hurdle#.T0WzMvXFx6Z
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