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May 22, 2015      10:10 PM

Updated: Texas Senate passes open carry after adding what critics call backdoor constitutional carry

Huffines is forced to apologize to law enforcement for misrepresenting their position on the issue; Sen. Huffman rises to the occasion as the former prosecutor grills Huffines about how this will endanger police officers; final vote was 20 to 11

After a debate that raged for hours and included apologies to law enforcement as well as a vigorous defense of police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, the Texas Senate on Friday night passed open carry legislation on a final vote of 20 to 11. Before it was over, one veteran senator would say that the debate created the “strangest” of political bedfellows he has ever seen.

In the early afternoon, senators were voting to table one amendment after another when the debate blew up as Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, offered an amendment that would prohibit law enforcement from asking a person to show their license solely because they are openly carrying a firearm. This is the same language that was slipped into the bill in the House by Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, and Tea Party Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving.

Senate sponsor Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, stripped out that language in the State Affairs Committee. On the floor, Estes said he would leave it to the will of the body. The amendment was ultimately adopted on a vote of 20 to 10. Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, was originally marked absent on that one but then registered a "yes" vote.

When an impromptu filibuster of the Huffines amendment was staged by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and others, Estes postponed the legislation and the Senate stood in recess from about 3:30 until 6pm.

After they gaveled back in, Sen. Huffines said that he met with representatives from the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas who informed him that they are steadfastly against his amendment. They needed to do so after Huffines completely misrepresented CLEAT’s position during the floor debate. He had said they were for it. Huffines publicly apologized to CLEAT for doing that.

By Scott Braddock