Texas Legislature Considers New Gun Rights

Does your company forbid you to have a gun in your parked car?

Many employers have policies that forbid workers from having a gun in their personal vehicle while on company property or traveling on company related business.

Across the state of Texas, numerous people have lost their jobs for violating these policies. Even Texas CHL (Concealed Handgun License) holders must comply with company terms of employment and can be legally fired with no recourse if they are caught with a gun in their vehicle under such a policy.

For CHL holders, that severely limits their ability to carry, since the gun has to stay at home during their commute to and from work.

Recognizing that these policies severely restrict the ability of law abiding citizens to exercise their right to self defense, Senator Glenn Hegar (R-Katy, Texas) recently introduced Senate Bill 730 to give Texans the right to store a gun in their parked vehicle while at work.

In a companion bill filled in the state House this week, State Representative Stephen Frost (D- Atlanta, Texas) filed House Bill 1301.

Both proposals protect workers from being fired or disciplined by their employer simply for having a concealed gun stored in their vehicle. If these two pieces of legislation become law, Texans will no longer be forced to forfeit their self protection in order to keep their jobs.

Opponents have already begun their campaigns to kill these bills.

The Texas legislature needs your support to overcome that obstacle. I urge you to call your state representatives and ask for their support of HB 1301.

A large number of citizens have circumstances that make carrying a gun in our vehicle a near necessity: long travel distances to and from work, traversing hazardous neighborhoods, carrying valuable equipment like laptops and other gear that might be a likely robbery target are just a few examples.

Many Texans have invested a lot of time and money in training and testing to obtain their CHL. Companies should not be allowed to reduce your ability to protect yourself to just weekends and evenings when you are off-duty.

This nation is quickly losing the individual liberties it has prided itself on for the last two centuries. This is your opportunity to regain some of that liberty; all it will take is the right number of people calling and writing their state representatives to tip the balance in favor of liberty and freedom.

It is becoming very rare for law makers to even introduce legislation like this. Please give them the encouragement and support they deserve for taking a stand against the massive gun control and liberal lobbyists who are destroying your right to protect yourself, your family, and your property.

Senator Glenn Hegar and Representative Stephen Frost, I commend you both for your outstanding bi-partisan leadership and commitment to individual rights illustrated in these legislative productions.