Tag Archives: Second Amendment

New Meaning to “Get Your Guns Up!”

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KHOU is reporting that Texas Tech will allow guns in the classroom.

Texas Tech University plans to ban guns in its recreation center, chapel and some dorms, but won’t prevent students with concealed handgun licenses from carrying in classrooms, the school announced Tuesday.

The policy, which was finalized by Interim President John Opperman, will be reviewed by the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents in April. Under state law, the board doesn’t have to approve the policy but can change it if it sees a need.

“I am confident we have submitted a set of recommendations that respects the spirit of the law while reflecting input from our community,” Opperman said. 

Today in Texas History – February 24

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From the Annals of the Police State – In 1969, approximately 100 Texas Rangers, local lawmen, and state police descended on Wiley College in a wild overreaction to a series of nonviolent student demonstrations on the campus.  Wiley, in Marshall, is the oldest black college west of the Mississippi River.  The students were demonstrating over faculty hiring practices, primitive dormitory facilities, and cutbacks in the intercollegiate athletic program. The police undertook a massive search for concealed weapons in the dorms – something the right-wing would now have to condemn but undoubtedly condoned because black students were the ones targeted.  The search turned up nothing and only resulted in the campus being closed for several weeks.  The demonstrations continued after the police raid and ultimately resulted in the school administration’s decision to improve living conditions on campus.

UT Pleases No One on Guns

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The University of Texas at Austin President Gregory Fenves has issued new rules regarding guns on the 40 Acres that has achieved the near impossible goal of making everyone angry.  Peaceniks are upset that guns will be allowed in classrooms and other public areas.  Dedicated gun owners are upset over being denied the right to pack heat in their dorm rooms.  Red completely sympathizes here.  Red can hardly count the times when a simple show of basic firepower might have discouraged freeloading dorm mates who felt entitled to yet another hit on the bong before tackling differential equations.  If your average college student can’t protect their weed in their own room then we’re on a slippery slope leading to frat boys invading and carrying off every Tequila bottle that isn’t nailed down.   

Then there are the curious exceptions. Concealed handguns will be allowed in dorms’ common areas; people who work in the dorms will be able to carry; and family members visiting the dorms will also be allowed to carry.   So when confronting that German student who has charmed away one’s girlfriend with promises of endless strudel and a slightly used 5 Series BMW, the showdown will have to take place in the lounge.  You won’t be able to pistol whip the little Hun bastard in his bunk bed anymore.  The exception for dorm workers makes more sense to Red.  Whining about meatloaf Monday will be considered a dangerous proposition and you won’t dare get caught leaving your food tray on the table. Admonitions to police up after yourself will have a new and sinister meaning. A few rounds fired randomly in the air by Lunch Lady will have the cafeteria sporting tables that you can actually eat off of.    As for family members, Red fondly remembers his Dad brandishing his 7mm Ruger in one hand and a bottle of Jack Black in the other to the dismay of the RA calling curfew.   Dad liked a good party.

Which brings us to the classrooms – where a free fire zone has been declared.  Unhappy with old Professor Fannypack calling on you when you haven’t read the assignment.  Perhaps a simple pat on the chest indicative of the relative location of your Smith & Wesson .38 Special will be enough for the old fart to move on to a more prepared and less lethal classmate. 

But when visiting your professor in his office beware.  Faculty members who don’t share an office with anyone else can ban guns in their specific areas.  Aggrieved students will have to employ more subtle forms of influence  to raise grades that seem likely to keep them out of the law school of their choice.  Red suggests wresting that bottle of Jack Black out of Dad’s hands and bringing it to your next student-teacher conference.  

Meanwhile, the privileged few attending private colleges in Texas have no such worries about when  and where they will or will not be allowed to strap one on.  Every private college that has spoken out so far has made the decision to opt out of campus carry.  Watch out for the Germans.  

 

Worshipping at the Church of the NRA

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At least one Dallas area parishioner is incensed about the  decision of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas to not allow open or concealed carry in its churches.  In fact, incensed enough to cut off tithing to the church and re-direct the money to the NRA.  He or she better hope that Wayne LaPierre is standing at the Pearly Gates instead of St. Peter.

Forgive Me Father, For I Have Sinned . . .

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I brought a loaded .38 Special to Mass.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso has announced that it will not allow concealed or open carry in its churches.   According to KFOX-14, the Chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso, Patricia Fierro, has indicated that the decision will into effect by next week.

KFOX14 wanted to find out how people felt about the diocese’s decision not to allow open carry.
 
Harry Sorensen, of West El Paso, says, “I think it’s a good idea on the church’s behalf. That’s their prerogative that they want to do. If they feel comfortable with people having weapons in the church that (is) their business.”
 
Daniel Fraire, of West El Paso, says, “I don’t think there’s any reason why we need guns in a church.  Although, there have been attacks in a church so I can see why people would want to take their gun in a church in a way.” 
  
Fierro doesn’t think their policy will impact whether people still go to their church.
 
“I’m thinking we might lose members if we allow them to bring guns into the church . . . But I think they’ll feel more secure if we keep the guns away.”

People have their own theories about the impact the decision could have on churchgoers.
 
Sorensen says, “They probably won’t go to church if they aren’t allowed to carry but that just depends on the person I suppose.”
 
“Why not see it both ways?” says Fraire.
 
He says, “Allow two separate Masses. Have one where guns are allowed and one where guns aren’t allowed. At least you can divide the people based on that.”

And the parishioners can fire in the air after the homily.

Where to Shop beginning January 1

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Second Amendment Check has posted a list of establishments that are not allowing “open carry” on their business premises when the new law takes effect on January 1, 2016.  SAC wants you to boycott these businesses.

Red, however, is using this same list to find places where he will continue to shop and spend his money after January 1.  Red’s policy will be as follows:

If Red is in any place of business and some moron walks in openly sporting their weapon, Red leaves as quickly as possibly and either immediately advises management of same or whips off a quick email or letter to said business establishment explaining why they have lost Red’s business.  Red hasn’t quite worked out how to handle this in the middle of a meal, but the devil is in the details.

“I Fart in Your General Direction”

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The counter protest to the Mock Mass Shooting staged across from UT-Austin seems to have drawn more interest than the main event.   Time has the poop.

About 100 people with flatulence noise makers marched against a mock mass shooting Saturday at the University of Texas to divert attention away from pro-gun demonstrators.

The group took to the streets of Austin with machines that make fart sounds in their counter “mass farting” protest, the Houston Chronicle reports. Their march was in response to guns rights groups’ plans to stage a fake mass shooting at the school, complete with fake blood.

“This is about a choice between fear and a little bit of good humor,” organizer and UT alumnus Andrew Dobbs told the crowd, according to the Chronicle. “We are in a scary time right now and lots of scary things are happening and some people want us to be more afraid.”

Old Uncle Fear, the best weapon that the right-wing has in this country.

 

The 355th “Mass Shooting” This Year Alone

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If that statistic doesn’t make you pause and wonder what has gone wrong with American society, then there simply is no hope for you.

Red remembers his first mass shooting at UT-Austin in August 1966.  It was so extraordinary, so bizarre, so surreal and unbelievable that such things could happen in his hometown, that Red was completely unable to process it for many years.  In fact, maybe he never has. And it remained an isolated occurrence for a long time.  It was not the norm.  Red remembers that it was 2 regular police officers and a civilian that went into the UT-Tower and killed the gunman (Red refuses to identify these SOB’s by their names whenever possible).  Just two ordinary beat cops and a volunteer armed with their service revolvers.

Compare that to the response yesterday in San Bernardino.  Large numbers of members of tactical weapons squads and para-military equipment were deployed. Tank-like vehicles and remote control bomb disposal equipment are apparently routinely available.  Our police have become militarized and perhaps necessarily so because of the prevalence of such violence.  Red doesn’t like it, but what is the alternative in the face of insanity on the levels we are seeing it in this country.

Red sends out his condolences to the grieving, but that is clearly insufficient.  There will be and already are the predictable calls for more gun control countered by calls for even more guns.  There must be measures that can be implemented that are consistent with the spirit of the 2d Amendment (however perverted and bowdlerized by the U.S. Supreme Court) that can perhaps help curtail if not prevent the abject crazies and identified threats from having free and open access to high-powered weaponry.   And the idea that more armed citizens and more heavily armed citizens will prevent such attacks is just a Tea Party wet dream as far as Red is concerned.  Find some actual evidence of more than a handful of instances where an armed citizen has done something to prevent or foreshorten one of these kind of attacks and we can talk.  Until then, please shut up.

Red doesn’t have the answers, but he can clearly see the problem.  That is the first step that so many in our c0untry are unwilling to take.   This is a major problem and it is getting worse.  What are we as a nation going to do about it?

Open Carry for All

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A group of New Black Panthers staged a protest in front of the Waller County Jail in  Hempstead.  The protestors were exercising their Second Amendment rights and their rights under Texas law and were armed with shotguns, hunting rifles and assault weapons. In an apparent panic of seeing black men legally armed in their streets, Waller County authorities called Harris County for support.  Harris County sent 75 deputies and a plane to monitor the entirely legal protest by the 15 NBP’s.  Fortunately, there were no incidents and no one was arrested or injured.  Red wonders what the reaction of the Waller County authorities would have been to a similar group of armed Rednecks marching in their fair community demanding a return of Jim Crow.  For the Redneck spin on the protest see Breitbart.

Whataburger Prohibits Open Carry

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Whataburger will continue to prohibit the open carrying of firearms in its restaurants despite the new Texas law which authorizes open carry.  The policy will be enforced in the company’s nearly 800 restaurants.

Preston Atkinson, Whataburger’s president and CEO, said customers who are licensed to carry concealed weapons will still be allowed to do so, but visible carrying of firearms will not be allowed.  According to a statement published on the company’s website.  While attempting to assuage potential backlash from the Second Amendment absolutists, Whataburger has made it clear that open carrying of firearms will not be tolerated at its restaurants.

Whataburger supports customers’ Second Amendment rights and we respect your group’s position, but we haven’t allowed the open carry of firearms in our restaurants for a long time (although we have not prohibited licensed conceal carry). It’s a business decision we made a long time ago and have stood by, and I think it’s important you know why.

But first, as a representative of Whataburger, I want you to know we proudly serve the gun rights community. I personally enjoy hunting and also have my concealed carry license, as do others at Whataburger.

From a business standpoint, though, we have to think about how open carry impacts our 34,000+ employees and millions of customers. We serve customers from all walks of life at more than 780 locations, 24 hours a day, in 10 states and we’re known for a family friendly atmosphere that customers have come to expect from us. We’re the gathering spot for Little League teams, church groups and high school kids after football games.

We’ve had many customers and employees tell us they’re uncomfortable being around someone with a visible firearm who is not a member of law enforcement, and as a business, we have to listen and value that feedback in the same way we value yours. We have a responsibility to make sure everyone who walks into our restaurants feels comfortable. For that reason, we don’t restrict licensed concealed carry but do ask customers not to open carry in our restaurants.

Red (who has enjoyed a good Whataburger since that fateful day his Dad first took him to a Whataburger in Victoria) will be ordering a No. 1 Combo with cheese and no onions and an unsweet iced tea for the drink in celebration of Whataburger showing some spine.