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Texas Moms Condemn House For Ignoring Texas Business and Voting for Open Carry without Signage Fix

4.17.2015

Austin, Texas –Today the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America condemns the House vote to pass HB 910, a bill that allows for the open carry of handguns in Texas and places new, burdensome requirements on businesses and private property owners. The House failed to pass the Nevárez Gun Signage Amendment, which would alleviate that burden and was supported by the Texas Association of Business. HB 910 heads next to the Senate to be reconciled with SB 17, the Senate open carry bill, which passed in March.”

Under current law, a business that wants to keep concealed handguns off of their private property must post a large sign. Under HB 910, to prohibit openly carried handguns a business will have to post a second, equally large sign. The signs are so large that many businesses simply do not have enough room on their storefronts to comply with this onerous new requirement. An amendment offered by Representative Poncho Nevárez would have created smaller, modern, easy-to-read graphic signage that a business could print and post in a manner immediately recognizable to CHL holders.

Despite opposition to the open carry of handguns from over two-thirds of Texans and 75 percent of police chiefs in Texas, both the Texas Senate and House prioritized these bills this session. Texas moms, gun violence survivors, gun owners, and law enforcement have testified in opposition to the expansion of handguns in Texas. Moms stood with Representative Nevárez and Texas business to support the The Nevárez Gun Signage Amendment as well.

“As a gun owning Texas mom, I am ashamed of our Texas lawmakers who voted in favor of extremist interests and petty politics instead of representing the majority of Texans who oppose the open carry of handguns,” said Angela Turner, volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Even more concerning is our lawmakers passed HB910 without the signage amendment, making a mockery of our private property rights and now our businesses will be forced to post two large and burdensome signs to keep CHL holders from carrying openly onto their premises. I expected better of my Texas lawmakers and will be keen to remember this when I return to the voting booth.”