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
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