Texas State Rifle Association
Governor Abbott's Second Safety Commission Meeting:
Thursday, Aug 29 Governor Abbott's second Round Table discussion in El Paso and TSRA's involvement.
The second Round Table was similar to the one I attended Aug 22 in Austin except for the inclusion of victims and relatives from the Walmart shooting.
The first part of the meeting was focused on healing, and the Governor's wife and the victims were encouraged to ask any questions, and they had many.
Walmart flew in an executive, and much of the questions were directed his way. One woman that lost a grown child asked, "where was Walmart's armed security? We were sitting ducks, the employees did not know what to do in a crisis, it was a soft target on a high traffic day. Times have changed, and Walmart should have done more proactively. What would it have cost to have off duty police officers at the door?"
The last man to testify (accompanied by his mother and sister) was a well-spoken survivor that had been shot in the back twice. He had seen the murderer come in the front door and shoot a person point-blank. He ran to find his mother. His elderly mother has an LTC and carries her snub-nosed .38 ALL THE TIME. That day she had left it at home. He never found his mother because he ran down a long straight aisle and was shot twice. He was very insistent that
"ALL ASSAULT RIFLES SHOULD BE BANNED, CONFISCATED AND DESTROYED" He made this plea several times. He admonished (respectfully) the Governor for not calling a special session and banning assault rifles.
Amazingly his mother did not share his desire to ban guns. She said people need their firearms for protection. She said she would never leave her gun at home again, and wanted a fighting chance to protect herself.
After the victims and survivors left the room, many subjects were discussed, this summary will focus on the GUN topics.
Gun-Control advocate:
Peter Ambler, Executive Director, "Gifford's: Courage to Fight Gun Violence" was present and proved to be ineffective. Peter repeatedly parroted his organizations talking points on assault rifle bans, universal background checks, rewrite of red-flag laws, magazine capacity limits, regulation of long guns, a limited number of gun purchases. At one point, he got crossways with the Governor for evading a question and continuously redirecting to his organizations talking points. The Governor called him down and asked for thoughtful discussion.
Pro-Gun:
TSRA - Mike Cox. Legislative Director
Stephen Willeford - a member of TSRA.
Don Pendergras and Michael Perkins, Owners of Sportsmen Elite in El Paso.
The possible need for the Texas version of NICS was discussed. The Governor and Lt. Governor framed it "how to prevent prohibited people from buying guns?" This opened an opportunity to educate many in the room about current NICS databases used in background checks and the role of FFL. The witnesses from Sportsmen Elite (recruited by TSRA) were perfect in representing FFL's and patiently explaining the process and the responsibility of FFL's.
Universal Background Checks (UBG). The challenge of identifying prohibited persons was discussed. Especially the sale of firearms to strangers of unknown character or intent by non-FFL. My prediction is that it will become a recurring subject of editorials, campaign speeches, both nationally and in Texas.
Licensed Open Carry of Long Guns - This question was brought up by the El Paso delegation. This topic was not given serious table time.
Bans - assault rifles and magazine limits. We all know these do not work. If bans worked, we could ban illegal drugs, and the drug problem and the associated illicit activities would go away.
This is a summary of discussion items that should serve as notice that lawful gun owners should tune in and become informed.
Tell Your US Senators and Congressmen No New Gun Control Laws
The TSRA and the TSRA PAC
Thank you, TSRA members, for renewing and upgrading your membership.
Your donations to the Texas State Rifle Association, keep the lights on and the bills paid. Unlike others, every dime given by Texans is spent on Texans.
Your gifts to the TSRA PAC go directly to supporting the Legislative and campaign process: printing postcards, supporting pro-gun state candidates, and making friends in the Legislature.
Your donations keep the monthly dues as low as possible.
Go to www.tsra.com and to www.tsrapac.com or call TSRA's office at 512-615-4200.
If your group needs a speaker, give us a call!
There will be future attempts to restrict and reduce your second amendment rights. TSRA is committed to protecting those rights.
Mike Cox
Legislative Director
Texas State Rifle Association
NRA state affiliate
100 yrs and growing
Founded in 1919
Commitment
Statement:
The Fewest Restrictions For
Law-Abiding Texas
Gun Owners
Regards,
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