Barry Smitherman ONLY Texas AG Candidate w/ CHL - More Trusted on Gun Rights than Ken Paxton or Dan Branch

Barry Smitherman is the ONLY candidate in the Texas Attorney General race with a Concealed Handgun License (CHL). The fact that Barry Smitherman actually packs heat, on top of the fact that he got an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA), is why I believe that Barry Smitherman is clearly the best gun rights Texas AG candidate over Ken Paxton and Dan Branch. Anyone can talk a good talk about supporting gun rights, but Barry Smitherman actually practices his right to bear arms. Anyone can say they understand the importance of gun rights and anyone can say they defend the right to bear arms, but at the end of the day, if you have never even gotten a concealed handgun license then you DON'T really fully understand the importance and need to protect gun rights. If you did really understand the importance of guns and gun rights then you would ALREADY have a concealed gun license.

One of the biggest issues facing America right now is an unprecedented attack on the 2nd amendment rights of Americans. Obama and the Democrats are doing everything they can to strip away our gun rights in exchange for gun control. The Texas Attorney General will need to protect and defend the 2nd Amendment rights of Texas. The Texas Attorney General will need to protect and defend the gun rights laws that the State of Texas has passed. It is not a matter of if. It is a matter of when. So the question is, when the time comes for Obama and the Democrats come after our guns, who do you want "behind the barrel of the gun" firing back at the liberals? I want Barry Smitherman.

When it comes to voting for the person who I can trust most to understand and defend gun rights, I pick the guy who actually packs heat instead of the guys who talk about the right to pack heat but have never felt it to be important enough to actually pack heat.

Furthermore, the State of Texas is actually NOT even the most gun friendly state in America. Texas does not even allow any open carry handgun laws even though MANY states DO have open carry laws. These laws to allow open carry in Texas have been pushed in recent years, but the Senators and State Representatives have blocked the laws. I would be willing to bet that most of those legislators do not have a concealed handgun license and therefore do not really understand the importance of gun right. They certainly do not understand that open carry is no more dangerous or alarming than concealed carry. Just look at the other states with open carry rights, no one is getting into shootouts in the middle of the streets or anything and I would be willing to bet that a criminal who sees someone with a gun is less likely to commit a crime in the first place knowing for sure someone has a gun and will fire at them.

Because Texas has a long way to go to be even more of a gun rights state, it is imperative that the next Texas Attorney General be someone who goes above and beyond just supporting the current Texas gun rights laws. The next attorney General for Texas should be someone who will push for even more gun rights than what we currently have in Texas.

The list of Texas Concealed Handgun License holders is not a public list. So how do I know that Barry Smitherman is the only candidate with a concealed handgun license? It is simple. Barry Smitherman has talked about having a CHL in public with the other candidates around and the other candidates have not chimed in about them having a CHL. Furthermore, Barry Smitherman has actually come out and said that he believes he is the only candidate in the race with a CHL and neither Ken Paxton nor Dan Branch have disputed this statement from Smitherman. You don't allow someone to say they are the only candidate with a CHL unless they actually are the only candidate with a CHL.

Texas Open Carry Come And Take It Gun Rights Rally At THE Alamo 10/19/2013

Only in Texas.... well, actually I should correct myself to say that rallies like this only happen in Texas. People open carrying guns happens all over America. Surprisingly, open carrying modern handguns in Texas is illegal even though many other states have some form of open carry gun rights. It is legal to open carry a rifle in Texas though and that is what will happen this Saturday at the Alamo in San Antonio, TX.

The rally will be Saturday, October 19th, 2013 starting at 10a.m. at the Alamo in San Antonio, TX.

The purpose of the rally is to protest the San Antonio Police Department's ticketing of law abiding citizens who openly, and legally, carry their rifles.

Fear is really the only thing that causes people to want to deny law abiding citizens their second amendment rights. The liberal media has trained people to be shocked when they see someone in public with a gun in a holster or over their back. Funny, I have never heard of a shooting at any of these gun rallies or at gun shows. There was just recently an open carry BBQ in Michigan and no one got shot.

Jerry Patterson, the Texas Land Commissioner who oversees the Alamo grounds, will be one of the main speakers at the event.

According to the event flyer:

We will gather for an armed march in response to the San Antonio Police Department policy of harassing law abiding citizens and gun owners. We cannot stand by any longer in silence. They have been left unchecked too long. This day we will stand under weight of arms and declare: "This Is Our Line In The Sand!" We will stand as free men and women. And we will take back the rights that Chief McManus believes he can revoke. Our right to bear arms shall not be infringed!

Sponsored by:

DontComply.com
OpenCarryTexas.org
Texas Open Carry
Gun Rights Across America
ComeAndTakeItAmerica.com
William Barret Travis

Men Legally Carrying Firearms Arrested at Texas Capitol 9/13/2013 – Troopers Not Aware of Gun Law Exemption

Update: Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Governor Candidate Tom Pauken have demanded that the charges be dropped against these men because it is not illegal to open carry the guns the men had in the manner they carried them. Also, it has been confirmed that it was three men who were arrested, not just two. Also, it has been confirmed that the group of men were part of an organization called Open Carry Texas.

At least 3 men (one a war vet in a wheelchair) were arrested today, 9/13/2013, at the Texas Capitol in Austin, TX after Texas DPS State Troopers, not aware of the law, arrested them and then had to think of other charges to put on the men after finding out that it was not illegal for them to open carry the guns because pre 1899 black powder pistols are expressly exempted from the firearms law. It was humorous to see (at about 8:50 into the arrest video below) the State trooper start reading the Texas firearms law and then go silent when he got to the part about pre 1899 black powder pistols being exempts from the law. Instead of admitting the mistake, they go ahead and charge the man with disorderly conduct/causing alarm with a gun. I completely support law enforcement and the Texas DPS Officers are a good group, but they are not perfect and this was wrong.

For a self-proclaimed super conservative, gun-rights haven, it is shocking that Texas is one of the minority of states who do not allow some form of open carry for handguns. Yep, you can have a concealed handgun in Texas and pass all the background checks and shooting qualifications just like a police officer, but you cannot open carry like an officer or like citizens in several other states can. Rifles are ok to open carry in Texas, and Texas law also specifically exempts pre 1899 black powder pistols from being defined as firearms.

To exercise their rights, and make a statement that you can carry guns in Texas and be safe, a group of guys went walking around the Texas Capitol LEGALLY open carrying. They knew of course that the police would likely arrest them even though they were not breaking the law, so they had their cameras with them. Sure enough, the Texas State troopers, carrying handguns openly on their hips themselves, came and started making arrests. Two men, Terry Holcomb and Gary Hays, were arrested. After finding out that the pre 1899 black powder pistols were exempts from being considered firearms, the troopers went ahead and charged the men, not for open carrying a handgun, but for disorderly conduct/causing alarm with a firearm. Neither of those laws were broken because in Texas, the simple sight of a gun on someone’s hip or being carried cannot cause alarm. The person has to be doing something with the gun to intentionally cause alarm with the gun like pointing it at people. This reminds me of the recent story of the Master Sergeant in Texas who was legally carrying his rifle on a road march. A police officer did not like it so, even though it is legal to carry a rifle, the soldier was arrested and charged with the same type of disorderly conduct/alarming others with a gun like what these men in Austin were charged with today.

At least the State Troopers at the Capitol today knew enough to know that they group of men COULD have the rifles they were open carrying at the Capitol. That just makes the troopers look even sillier because they claimed the sight of a handgun caused alarm, but the rifles on the men’s back did not cause alarm? It does not make sense. It is not illegal what these men did, but Texas is still stuck in gun control land when it comes to open carrying. That leads to men getting arrested on ridiculous, trumped up charges even though they were legally carrying. It is time for Texas to really act conservative, and join the many other states who allow open carry.

Below are more of the pictures (from Facebook) and video from the arrests today of Gary Hays, Terry Holcomb and Scott Smith at the Texas State Capitol:

If video does not show below then click here to watch video

Texas Passes Bill to Train Teachers as Armed Marshals - Other Gun Bills Blocked in House

Texas did have some pro-gun legislation passed this year, although some of the most important bills, like Texas Campus Carry, were blocked in the Texas House by Joe Straus who did not want too much controversy this year...

the following article is from Breitbart.com:

by AWR Hawkins 25 May 2013

Texas legislators have sent a bill to Governor Rick Perry that allows schools to train and maintain teachers as "armed marshals" on campuses.
The bill, which had already passed the Texas house, enjoyed a bipartisan passage of 28-3 in the Texas senate.
According to the Associated Press, the bill enjoyed the strong support of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who "pushed lawmakers to help school districts provide teachers or other employees with special weapons and tactical response training." Dewhurst's pleas were echoed by smaller school districts that could not afford to hire police and other security forces for their schools.
Under the bill, trained teachers would keep a firearm in a lockbox "within immediate reach." It allows one armed marshal per 400 students and contains provisions to hide the name of that marshal from public record, to keep him or her from being purposefully targeted in an attack.
Teachers' groups opposed the bill, arguing that protection ought to be left to security professionals. Yet because Texas already allows teachers to carry guns where school boards approve, the arguments against the bill did not prevail.
Senator Brian Birdwell (R) said the concern over law-abiding citizens possessing guns on campus is misdirected: "The Second Amendment is not about the gun, it's about the right to self-preservation."

read rest of article here: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/24/Texas-Lawmakers-Pass-Legislation-To-Train-Teachers-To-Be-Armed-Marshals

National Gun Appreciation Day with James White and David Bellow - Lumberton, TX Lone Star Indoor Gun Range

State Representative James White celebrating National Gun Appreciation Day with David Bellow at Lone Star indoor gun range in Lumberton, TX. The M&P 15 "Assault Rifle" did NOT start shooting on its own an kill anyone....

 

Texas A.G. Abbott: I’ll Go to Court to Block Any Gun Ban - Mexico Gun Ban Increases Crime

One of the best statements from Abbot regarding this issue was, "Guns are banned in Juarez, guns are legal in El Paso,” he said. “But El Paso is far safer than Juarez.”

He is right. Those two cities are right beside each other but on the Mexico side guns are not legal and so all the bad guys can kill and victimize all they want because they have guns but law abiding citizens do not have guns to protect themselves.

Even Mexicans are crying out for the Mexican government to allow law abiding citizens the ability to have a gun to protect themselves.

from the Dallas Morning News:

Brothers in tiny Mexican town push for changes to nation’s strict gun-control laws

The LeBaron brothers, Alex and Max, walked outside their sprawling ranch surrounded by chile fields and pointed to the spot where they traded fire with gunmen who pinned them down for what seemed like hours until both sides reached a truce.

“Had we not been able to defend ourselves that afternoon with our own weapons, I don’t know that we’d be standing here today,” said Alex LeBaron, a state legislator who is leading a campaign to allow residents to arm themselves.

“Without our guns, we stood no chance,” added Max. “We would have been like sitting ducks at target practice.”

Mexico has some of the strictest gun-control laws in the world, but an overwhelming arsenal of illegal guns is readily available to drug cartels battling federal forces and rival criminal groups. The drug war has left more than 60,000 people dead and 25,000 missing since then-President Felipe Calderón sent federal troops to reclaim territories from drug traffickers shortly after taking office in 2006. Few communities have been harder hit than this region, home to chile, apple and pecan growers and cheese makers — and a smuggling route, coveted by traffickers, that leads into the United States through Texas.

“We don’t have a problem with jackrabbits,” Max said. “We have a problem with sicarios — hitmen. People show up here in fake police, soldier uniforms. You shoot first and then ask questions.”

“The right to bear arms is the best thing Americans have going for them,” said cousin Brent LeBaron Jr. “And here in Mexico, we have high hopes that we too can someday defend ourselves from traffickers armed to the teeth.”


Statements from Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott from 1200 WOAI News:

Congress may be ramping up to consider gun restrictions in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, but Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott says the proposals being discussed now are unconstitutional, and he says he will ask the courts to throw them out if they are approved, 1200 WOAI news reports.

“I’ve been to the Supreme Court twice,” Abbott said in an interview with 1200 WOAI’s Joe Pags. “I can tell you that these laws that try to restrict our gun rights violate the Second Amendment guarantee of the right to keep and bear arms. The U.S. Supreme Court has spoken on this issue twice.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) has already indicated that she will try to ban the ownership of so-called ‘assault weapons.’ U.S. Rep Carolyn McCarthy (D-New York) is proposing bill to ban high capacity magazines. President Obama has indicated that he plans to fast track a gun restriction, even though the White House hasn’t said what proposal it will support.

Abbott says whatever is passed will be a waste of taxpayers time and money, because it won’t pass Constitutional challenges, and he says gun restrictions are ‘illogical,’ pointing to the twin cities of El Paso Texas and Juarez Mexico.

“Guns are banned in Juarez, guns are legal in El Paso,” he said. “But El Paso is far safer than Juarez.”
He says there has not been any effort ever to restrict gun ownership in the United States which has resulted in a reduction in street violence. In fact, he pointed to Chicago and New York City, both of which have among the country’s most restrictive local gun regulations, as examples.

“Two places that are two of the most dangerous cities in the United States are two places which have tried to place serious restrictions on guns, to no effect, to no consequence,” he said. “It is clear that gun restrictions are not successful.”

Abbott said the logic behind anti-gun measure escapes him.

“For something like the past eight or nine years, there have been more people killed by clubs and hammers than there have been by rifles,” he said.

Texas Speaker Straus REFUSES to Support Gun Rights Pledge

The following information is from an email I recieved from Bob Hall of the Canton Tea Party:

Incumbent Speaker Joe Straus has REFUSED to pledge his support for the right to keep and bear arms.

He has fought efforts to restore your God-given right to keep and bear arms every step of the way.

He even mocked efforts to restore law-abiding citizens' right to carry a firearm on a college campus saying:

"Guns on campus, guns somewhere else? Are we really fixing problems or do we just think we do?"

(Scharrer, Gary, "On-the-job training pays off for Straus as House speaker," Houston Chronicle, 6/7/2009.)

But all of this should be no surprise, since Joe Straus gained his position as Speaker with the support of anti-gunners in BOTH parties.

You see, his winning coalition in 2009 included only 11 House Republicans. 

The rest were anti-gun Democrats whom Strauss had cut a deal with -- immediately appointing gun-grabbing Democrats to 16 of 34 House chairmanships.

Then, right after the 2012 elections, profanity-laced emails out of Speaker Strauss' office were leaked showing his true colors -- even going so far as to call Tea Party activists "idiots" and other grassroots activists "motherf***ers."

In fact, one online news source stated the emails reveal Straus' ongoing malicious "War Against Conservatives." [Erickson, Erick, "Private Emails From Texas Speaker Joe Straus's Office Reveal War Against Conservatives", RedState, 11/4/2012.]

It's not often you and I get a chance to knock a real anti-gunner out of legislative leadership.

Right now, you and I have that chance!

Considering everything that's at stake, it's critical you act at once.

That's why it's vital you contact your State Representative IMMEDIATELY and urge your Representative to vote to oppose the nomination of Joe Straus for Speaker of the House.

You can reach your State Representative at 512-463-4630 or  click here to find out who represents you :[http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/find-your-representative/]

Tell your State Representative to take a stand.  Make sure they know they won't get off scot-free by voting to install Joe Straus as Speaker for another term.

But please act IMMEDIATELY.  Time is running out.

For Liberty,

Dudley Brown Executive Vice President

Texas Man Uses Gun to Save Family from Home Invader with a Knife - Gun Rights Work Bob Costas

Silly Bob Costas, trying to tell people on Sunday Night Football that the football player who recently shot himself and his girlfriend would still be alive if there were no guns.... WRONG! He would have just slit his throat and his girlfriend's throat with a knife.... When people want to kill they will kill using whatever means they can.

Plus, if the girlfriend or mother would have had a gone, they could have stopped the players killing spree before he took the life of his innocent girlfriend!

Oh, but I can tell you this Bob Costas, this husband very likely would not have been able to save his family from this home intruder if the husband did not have a gun to protect his home with....


the following article is from KBMT Channel 12 News Beaumont, TX:

Home invader with knife stopped by homeowner with gun

Posted: Dec 02, 2012 8:28 AM CST Updated: Dec 02, 2012 8:38 AM CST

By David Ingram

Nederland, TX police say a homeowner with a gun was able to stop an intruder who was armed with a knife late Saturday evening.

Officers say it happened in the 100 block of Avenue D just before midnight. A man, woman and child were at home when they heard someone breaking into the house through a glass French door.  The homeowner confronted the intruder and fired one shot. Police say the intruder was not hit by the bullet.

Officers arrived shortly after the confrontation and arrested the intruder.

Assistant Chief of Police Gary Porter tells 12 News the man's name is withheld pending arraignment, but did say the intruder is a 38-year-old male.  The man was charged with burglary of a habitation, but charges could be upgraded.

No one was injured in the home invasion.

Texas Man Pulls Gun on Black Friday Line Cutter who Punched Him - Gun Rights Work

This is great! A line cutter on Black Friday decided to get violent (he must have really wanted that new TV or something)

Anyways, he punches some guy in the face. Things were about to get bad. Then all of the sudden the guy who got punched pulled out a gun to defend himself. The bad guy ran off and no one else cut in line or got assaulted. The man with the gun had a Texas concealed handgun carry permit and was not charged.

See, in Texas we allow people to have guns to protect themselves and it works!

story below from NBCDFW.com

Man Pulls Gun on Rowdy, Line-Cutting Black Friday Shopper

Impatient line-cutter had allegedly punched man in face. Police say man had permit to carry gun and won't be charged.

Black Friday got off to a rowdy start at a San Antonio mall where police say one shopper pulled a gun on another who punched him in the face while they were waiting in line at a Sears store.

Police Sgt. Rob Carey tells the San Antonio Express-News a man rushed into the store when it opened Thursday night to get to the front of a line, started arguing with people and tried cutting in front of them.

One man who got punched pulled a gun and that scattered shoppers, including the impatient line-cutter who took cover behind a refrigerator. Then he fled.

Carey says the man with the gun had a permit to carry the weapon and isn't being charged with a crime.

 

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott Stands Beside Gun Owners

Article by Bob Price from Texas GOP Vote:

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott Stands Beside Gun Owners

In the days leading up to the election, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott issued an opinion about an employer's ability to ban Texans with a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) from leaving a gun locked in their private vehicle in a company parking lot. This is yet another example of the AG's steadfast support of the rights of an individual to protect themselves.

The opinion, requested by Texas State Senator Robert Deuell (R-Greenville) said that Section 30.06 of the Texas penal code, which allows employers to post notices on building entrances restricting handguns or other firearms being carried on the premises, does not supersede the state law that protects CHL holders.

Unfortunately, the opinion also states that Texas law currently does not provide the employee whose rights have been violated, a way to correct the situation. The opinion does say that employees might seek relief by suing their employer under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act.

read rest of article here: http://www.texasgopvote.com/issues/stop-big-government/texas-attorney-general-greg-abbott-stands-beside-gun-owners-004834