“A Senate committee on Monday approved an open carry bill that had been stripped of a House amendment seeking to ban police stops to check for concealed handgun licenses,” statesman.com reports. “The amendment was added on the House floor last month by Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, who said police have no business stopping citizens engaged in a legal activity. ‘We don’t let the police stop every car just to figure out who does and who doesn’t have a driver’s license,’ Dutton said. ‘I think the same principle applies here.'” Well yes. Yes it does . . .
Although the amendment would have preemptively discouraged statists like Austin PD Chief Art Acevedo from hassling open carriers, a couple of lawsuits will accomplish the same goal, if needs be. Which is a possibility of The Lone Star State passes licensed open carry.
House Bill 910 now heads to the full Senate for consideration. The House must also approve the new/old bill. There’s time before the current legislative session expires, but not a lot. June 1 or it’s done. Watch this space.