Fort Bend County Commissioners Support Open Carry Ban
The Fort Bend County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a Resolution in Support of Enacting Legislation to Prohibit Open Carrying of Firearms and Weapons in Public Libraries on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
On its own, the Resolution does not legally do anything. It is not a bill that will be filed in the Texas Legislative Session. The approval does not prohibit the open carry. In the moments before the “motion carries unanimously” decision, the County Commissioners were quick to make sure the viewers knew there would still be work to be done to make a change to libraries.
What this Resolution does do, however, is make it clear that Fort Bend County intends to support any legislation that may get filed that would prohibit carry in public libraries.
On its own, the Resolution does not legally do anything. It is not a bill that will be filed in the Texas Legislative Session. The approval does not prohibit the open carry. In the moments before the “motion carries unanimously” decision, the County Commissioners were quick to make sure the viewers knew there would still be work to be done to make a change to libraries.
What this Resolution does do, however, is make it clear that Fort Bend County intends to support any legislation that may get filed that would prohibit carry in public libraries.
The Commissioner’s Court was streamed on their website. Five individuals attended to share their support of the Resolution and encourage the Commissioners to support it. A common theme among all four was the concern for children, and comments that firearms are the leading cause of death for teens and children.
“Kids are curious and fearless,” the first speaker shared, with a Mom’s Demand Action logo on her shirt. “Imagine what they would do if they saw an unattended weapon?”
The fourth speaker shared that he was not in attendance to ban guns, but was interested in common sense. “I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment,” he said. “But I like the common sense of not having firearms in a public library. I can’t think of a reason you would need a gun in the library.” He expressed disappointment that the Resolution had been “watered down” since the last draft, and now allowed for concealed carry to continue to be allowed in the library.
At the conclusion of the speakers, a man in attendance raised his hand and asked to make a comment but was declined. It is unclear if he intended to argue for or against this Resolution, or if his comment was on another agenda item.
TSRA and the TSRA Legislative Team worked diligently on the 2021 Open Carry legislation, which was passed. The Fort Bend Commissioners Court addressed this law during the discussion. They encouraged everyone to contact their legislators because of the 2021 law. “Unless your state legislators vote to change it, there’s nothing that this court can do.”
But there is something that we can do. Now that we are aware of the intention of the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court to vote against our rights and freedoms, we can prepare to battle these and other types of 2A-infringing bills during the 89th Legislative Session. We encourage you to contribute to the TSRA PAC to help us with these fights.
Story by Marissa Brinkman (sportsman@tsra.com)
December 20, 2024
“Kids are curious and fearless,” the first speaker shared, with a Mom’s Demand Action logo on her shirt. “Imagine what they would do if they saw an unattended weapon?”
The fourth speaker shared that he was not in attendance to ban guns, but was interested in common sense. “I am a supporter of the 2nd Amendment,” he said. “But I like the common sense of not having firearms in a public library. I can’t think of a reason you would need a gun in the library.” He expressed disappointment that the Resolution had been “watered down” since the last draft, and now allowed for concealed carry to continue to be allowed in the library.
At the conclusion of the speakers, a man in attendance raised his hand and asked to make a comment but was declined. It is unclear if he intended to argue for or against this Resolution, or if his comment was on another agenda item.
TSRA and the TSRA Legislative Team worked diligently on the 2021 Open Carry legislation, which was passed. The Fort Bend Commissioners Court addressed this law during the discussion. They encouraged everyone to contact their legislators because of the 2021 law. “Unless your state legislators vote to change it, there’s nothing that this court can do.”
But there is something that we can do. Now that we are aware of the intention of the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court to vote against our rights and freedoms, we can prepare to battle these and other types of 2A-infringing bills during the 89th Legislative Session. We encourage you to contribute to the TSRA PAC to help us with these fights.
Story by Marissa Brinkman (sportsman@tsra.com)
December 20, 2024