Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Holiday wishes to all

It's been fairly quiet over here, so I'd like to wish everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Joyous Solstice, Festive Kwanzaa, and best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year!

Daniel

Monday, November 16, 2009

Proposed Changes to Texas Democratic Party Caucus Rules

The next meeting of the TDP State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) will be held on Saturday, November 21 at the Double Tree Hotel in Austin, Texas. On the agenda for the SDEC meeting are some proposed rule changes that will have a significant impact on the ability of the Gun Owners Caucus to develop and maintain an official presence within the TDP.

If these changes are adopted, our caucus can still hold meetings at the State Convention and as otherwise required by our Bylaws, but the new rules will affect our ability to obtain official recognition by the SDEC, let alone a place at the SDEC table. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it will be a challenge to our caucus, and the proposed rules do offer some minimum standards for what qualifies as a "caucus" in the eyes of the SDEC.

A summary of the pertinent changes that will be considered at the November 21 meeting:

1. An official caucus must hold two consecutive, officially scheduled caucuses at the State Convention. (No problem here, as our Bylaws mandate an Election Meeting during every State Convention.)
2. Minimum membership in an official SDEC caucus will be 250 members statewide, with 16 senatorial districts providing at least five members each.
3. All caucus members must vote in the Democratic primary and be eligible to serve as a State Convention delegate or alternate.
4. Caucus Bylaws must be approved as adequate by the Rules Committee of the SDEC.

I'll post any further details as they become available.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Open letter to Richard Ward, Mayor of Hurst

BACKGROUND: Richard Ward has served as Mayor of the city of Hurst, Texas, since May 2004. Mayor Ward is a US Army veteran with a background in medical technology, human resources, and youth activities. He is also a current member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and has written an editorial for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram dated September 27, 2009 to explain his involvement in MAIG:

Mayors group wants to make it harder for criminals to get guns

I sent Mayor Ward the following response on September 30:

Good morning, Mayor Ward:

In my current role as Chair of the Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party, one of my duties is to keep abreast of gun politics in Texas to the best of my ability with a view towards serving my fellow Texas Democrats. It is therefore within said capacity that I respectfully submit this open response to your Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial published on September 27, 2009.

I know that serving as Mayor can wear on you at times. You have a lot of pressing issues to juggle - municipal services, public education, law enforcement, utilities, and the constant battle to reconcile all of the above with your annual budget. The same goes for any Mayor worth his or her salt, and I appreciate your efforts.

While discussing your membership in Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), I read where you "fully support the rights of law-abiding citizens under the Second Amendment," and I appreciate those sentiments greatly. There are, however, ongoing concerns that I have with the policies and long-term objectives of MAIG that must be addressed.

By their own admission, MAIG supports using a secretive "watch list" to deny sales of firearms to law-abiding citizens if their names somehow wind up on this list:

http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/federal/closing_gun_gap.shtml

I have seen numerous reports of innocent civilians being denied the ability to fly on commercial airliners because their names have been placed on a "no-fly list" by some faceless bureaucrat. Even the late Senator Ted Kennedy fell victim to this list, which is by design secretive, unreviewable, and virtually unimpeachable. I do not want terrorists obtaining firearms or explosives, either - and I am glad that the FBI did their job in keeping that kid from blowing up the Fountain Place skyscraper in downtown Dallas - but curtailing the rights of innocent Americans without notification, without review, and without due process is not the way to do it.

In addition, MAIG's opposition to the Thune Amendment also touches on the notion of right-to-carry reciprocity between states, including Texas that issue concealed handgun licenses (CHLs):

http://mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/downloads/pdf/7_14_09_maig_letter.pdf

Although I acknowledge your own concerns about the Thune Amendment, I still hold out hope for a workable CHL reciprocity system between the several states. One of the reasons our nation scrapped the Articles of Confederation in favor of the Constitution was because the Articles denied Congress the ability to regulate interstate commerce, as evidenced in the ill-fated Jay-Gardoqui Treaty and the runaway inflation in Massachusetts that brought about Shay's Rebellion in the absence of any state or Federal intervention.

National CHL reciprocity could never have been enacted (let alone enforced) under the Articles, but it can work under the Constitution, and should be given diligent study on Capitol Hill in view of the Constitution bestowing upon Congress some ability to regulate firearm sales as interstate commerce (Article I, Section 8, as reflected in the National Firearms Act of 1934). The issue of minimum standards is a valid one, but it should not be used to derail all discussion of CHL reciprocity.

As for the "closing the gun show loophole," while I am confident that mandatory background checks for all sales at gun shows will not have any significant financial impact on these shows, I am concerned that the push for universal background checks could lead to criminal charges against any parent who bequeaths a firearm to a child of sufficient age and maturity to take possession of the gun, nor am I confident that legislation such as Senator Frank Lautenberg's S. 843 will have any appreciable effect on illegal trafficking or smuggling of firearms.

In addition, MAIG has voiced support as recently as December 27, 2007 for a new Federal ban on civilian ownership of semi-automatic firearms:

http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/media-center/pr015-07.shtml

Obviously, I cannot and will not lend my support to such a wholesale assault on our Constitutional rights. If I legally own a semi-automatic M1 carbine, a Kalashnikov, an AR-type rifle, or even a Smith & Wesson pistol that holds 11 rounds instead of 10, I have a responsibility to do everything I could to keep my gun safe from theft, but I need reassurance that my elected officials, even if they disagree with my choice of firearm, will continue to defend my Second Amendment right to own it.

I recognize that you consider the safety of Hurst residents your top priority, which is commendable. I also recognize your statement that you do not wish to be associated with any organization that is considered anti-Second Amendment. And I'm not going to suggest that you resign from MAIG if you truly feel that your respect for our Constitutional rights is in harmony with the goals and objectives of MAIG. Nevertheless, I feel that the concerns I stated above are still valid, legitimate, and of great interest to my fellow Texas Democrats, especially those who own guns.

On the other hand, your own voice within MAIG could do much to temper some of the more far-reaching proposals of your coalition partners and renew the focus on combatting illegal gun trafficking and violent crime without threatening the rights of innocent, law-abiding Americans. This, I believe, would be a laudable objective.

Thank you for taking time out of your admittedly busy schedule to reflect upon my concerns.

Sincerely,

Daniel Barnett
Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party

NOTE: Mayor Ward has kindly informed me that he is interested in composing a response. I will keep you posted on any further details.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Update on Mayor Bill White

I apologize for not catching this until today, but it appears that Houston Mayor Bill White, a Democratic primary candidate for the US Senate, resigned from Mayors Against Illegal Guns back in July, parting company with MAIG over its opposition to a proposal for concealed-carry reciprocity between participating states. White's campaign has stated that MAIG's focus has grown from the original effort to curb trafficking in stolen firearms.

Very interesting news, indeed. I'll try to keep a closer eye on this one.

Friday, September 18, 2009

I got this fundraising letter from Jerry Patterson...

If you don't know who Jerry Patterson is, he's a Republican who current serves as Texas Land Commissioner. This Marine veteran wrote our state CHL law during his tenure in the state Senate.

Now that Patterson is being challenged by Democrat Bill Burton for his job, his campaign sent out a letter dated September 8, 2009 warning of the dangers posed to the Second Amendment by liberal on Capitol Hill, including the newest Superme Court Justice:

Sonia Sotomayor ruled that the 2nd Amendment, as written by the founders of our great nation, only applies to the federal government and states do not have to respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

Eric Holder:

And Barack Obama's Attorney General has said that new gun control measures are on the way. Does that mean they'll try to interfere with Texas' right to carry law - the law that I wrote when I was in the Texas Senate?

and "Washington liberals" in general:

...who would dishonor our heritage and take away our guns...

Zakariah Johnson of American Hunters and Shooters Associaton provides a counterpoint to Patterson's assertions, making the argument that Sotomayor's ruling in Maloney v. Rice gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to reevaluate the case, which could result in Heller being explicitly applied to the states (as argued by Nordyke v. King in the Ninth Circuit).

As for AG Holder, he's already under pressure from no less than 65 House Democrats as well as the AHSA and the NRA to hold off on any new federal gun laws.

If Patterson wants to duke it out with Burton over the Second Amendment, that's fine, but maybe Patterson should cool his heels until Burton makes his own position on gun rights known.

As for Burton, his campaign is more than welcome to contact the Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party regarding his views on the Second Amendment. Don't be shy; I'd love to hear from you.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

A tragedy that could have been much, much worse

From News 8 Austin:

According to a press release Friday, San Marcos police do not anticipate filing charges against a resident who shot three Luling teenagers, killing two, after they broke into his home in Western San Marcos early Friday morning.

"At this time, we do not anticipate filing charges against the resident for firing the shots," San Marcos Police Chief, Howard Williams, said.

Instead, San Marcos police will be turning the case over to the Hays County District Attorney's office for review after San Marcos PD completes their investigation.


One of the teens involved in the home invasion was carrying a handgun as opposed to the pellet guns carried by two of his accomplices.

It is sad that two teenagers were killed, but at least the San Marcos resident had the means to defend himself against what was obviously deadly force in the hands of those with ill intent.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Time to gear up for 2010

It's been a bit quiet lately, but it's time to start preparing for the 2010 elections as well as the state convention in Corpus Christi.

I'm currently serving as a precinct chair in Dallas County, and I know of at least one other precinct chair who's part of the Gun Owners Caucus, but we could use a lot more pro-RKBA Democrats in this role.

Precinct chairs are the backbone of every countywide Democratic Party organization in Texas. The primary job of a precinct chair is to identify Democrats living in their precinct and help get them out to vote in the Democratic Primary and General Election. Another thing to remember is that precinct chairs also have the option of serving as an election judge - the individual who runs the voting booths on Election Day. However, the primary goal of every precinct chair is to increase the number of people voting Democratic in their precinct.

Check with your county party headquarters to see if your precinct has an active chair - if not, please consider throwing your hat into the ring. Your county party HQ should have all the details.

I'll discuss a few more ideas for 2010 as time goes by. Feel free to share any thoughts you might have.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Observations on August 15 gun buyback in Dallas

I dropped by Dallas City Hall for a while yesterday to see how their recent gun buyback was going. Those who surrendered a gun to the Dallas Police Department received a $50 grocery card in return. The DPD claims they received 175 guns from the Saturday buyback.

Most of the guns I saw, however, looked like they've seen better days. I saw a lot of old hunting rifles and shotguns with worn-off finishes and scuffed wooden stocks. I also saw a couple of pistols that looked like they still worked, but barely. I talked with another observer who told me he saw a lot of cheap .25-caliber "Saturday night special" pistols being turned in. He did inform me that he saw a TEC-9 being surrendered. I used to own one for a very brief period in the 90s, but never fired it - the sights don't adjust, the gun is prone to jamming, and unless your model has a ventilated barrel shroud (as mine did), a firm two-handed grip is almost impossible.

The two of us did see this one 12-gauge pump shotgun being turned in that still had a great finish and lovely woodwork. Had the owner tried to sell it at a pawn shop, I reckon he could have made a little more than $50 from the sale. It was a shame to realize this shotgun, instead of being put to good use during hunting season, now has a date with the smelter. My companion told me he'd love to install an optics rail and a laser on that particular shotgun. Me, I think I'd leave it exactly as it is. Some firearms are simply elegant in their simplicity.

This was the second gun buyback in Dallas this year. A similar event in February netted another 147 guns.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Obese inmate uses belly fat to sneak gun into Houston jail

It's hard to find any words to respond to this, so here's the link without further comment:

Obese Inmate Sneaks Gun Into Jail in Belly Fat

Monday, July 27, 2009

John Sharp to Bill White: Quit anti-gun group

Just received this news item from Texans for John Sharp:

SHARP CALLS ON WHITE TO QUIT NATIONAL ANTI-GUN GROUP

U.S. Senate Candidate says Houston Mayor's membership in New York City coalition is out of step with mainstream Texas

(AUSTIN) — United States Senate candidate John Sharp today called on opponent Bill White to immediately denounce his position in a national anti-gun coalition founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, saying that the Houston Mayor's continued membership in the group is a threat to the rights of law-abiding Texans to own guns.

"Mr. White's war on guns is already making it impossible for him to be elected statewide in Texas," Sharp said. "He should immediately disassociate himself from this anti-gun group so he doesn't also hurt the chances of other Democrats running for public office."

Sharp said a measure in the U.S. Senate last week that would have allowed legal gun owners with valid permits to carry concealed weapons from one state to another failed by just two votes after fierce opposition from the group, known as Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

White is one of only two Texas mayors who are currently a part of the group, which was formed by Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to champion legislation aimed at limiting gun ownership.

Among the top goals of the mayors' anti-gun coalition is to repeal the Tiarht Amendment, which was passed by Congress in 2003 to protect gun owners from the release of their confidential personal information to anyone but a federal law enforcement agency in connection to a specific criminal investigation.

Millions of legal gun owners in Texas could find their constitutional rights threatened by White’s support of the group's agenda, Sharp said. A life member of the National Rifle Association, Sharp has a perfect legislative record in support of the Second Amendment, owns dozens of guns, and is an avid hunter.

New York's Mayor Bloomberg founded the group to promote legislation that would limit gun ownership across the country. The group boasts a membership of more than 400 mayors, mainly from the Northeast and California. Houston Mayor White is a charter member and one of only two Texas mayors who belong to the group.

In addition to advocating the end of the federal Tiarht Amendment, the groups is pushing to create broad new authority for the federal government to register gun show customers and maintain a database of information on legal gun sales that take place at such public events.

Bloomberg's group is widely criticized for its "determination to punish all those who possess" firearms, and a number of high-profile mayors have quit the group, including U.S. Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who joined the group when he was Anchorage mayor. According to news reports, he realized that "the coalition is working on issues that conflict with the beliefs we share in Alaska about legal gun ownership." (Anchorage Daily News, February 4, 2007.)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The Well-Heeled Shooter

Vice-Chair Tracee Larson of the TX caucus has just unveiled her own blog dealing with women and gun ownership. Check it out:

http://thewell-heeledshooter.blogspot.com/

Good luck, Tracee!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Cooke County Democrats Meeting - Thursday, July 16 @ 7pm

I'll be visiting the Cooke County Democrats during their monthly meeting this coming Thursday at the Neu Ranch House in Gainesville on Highway 82, east of I-35. Looking forward to meeting some new friends and eating some good Texas barbecue.

I may be wrong, but Neil Durrance might stop by for a few minutes - he's the current chair of the Denton County Democratic Party, and he's challenging Republican Michael Burgess for the 26th Congressional District next year.

Hope to meet some of you at Gainesville this coming Thursday!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Democratic National Committee Meeting in Austin (September 10-12, 2009)

Received from the Texas Democratic Party earlier this month:

Dear fellow Democrat,

It is with great pleasure that I share this exciting news with you. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has just informed me that Austin, Texas has been selected as the location of the upcoming DNC fall meeting scheduled for September 10-12, 2009.

As the second largest and most diverse state in the country, Texas is quickly proving itself to be an important state for the long term growth and success of the Democratic Party. The selection of Austin as the site of the fall DNC meeting clearly shows that the significant gains we've made over the past two election cycles have not gone unnoticed.

With so much at stake in the 2010 election, this meeting is an opportunity for the Texas Democratic Party to show national Democratic Party leaders that Texas is on the right track and that we are worth investing in.

Thank you for all your hard work - your support makes this great news possible. We'll provide more information as it develops.

Your friend and fellow Democrat,

Boyd L. Richie

Boyd L. Richie
Chairman
Texas Democratic Party

Friday, June 19, 2009

Nice writeup about Texas City Municipal Shooting Range

I know things have been quiet around here since the Legislature gaveled its latest session to a close, but I found a nice little story about the Texas City Municipal Shooting Range that I figured you'd enjoy taking a look at.

What appeals to me most of all is the fact that the range is bringing people together for some good company and harmless fun. Involving firearms. Yes, gun-control advocates, it can be done.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Concealed-carry on campus is dead - so what killed it?

What kept concealed handguns at Texas colleges from being legalized by the 81st session of the Texas Legislature?

Here's a prime suspect: Voter ID.

Republican legislators were so hell-bent on passing this repressive and useless law that they scuttled their own time-honored rules of procedure just so they could keep Democrats from blocking a vote on the Voter ID bill.

The result was a five-day filibuster on the House floor, courtesy of Democratic legislators, that stretched over Memorial Day weekend. When the dust settled, Voter ID was dead, but so were hundreds of other bills - including SB 1164.

Democrats played by the rules - their "chubbing" strategy wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. And that means pro-ID Republicans have two years to sit at home and think about their folly at the Capitol that resulted in a host of good laws being scuttled. They have nobody else to blame but themselves.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Texas Senate tells US Congress to put a halt to Holt (SCR 54)

Today, the Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 54, authored by Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls), which admonishes legislators in DC to "cease and desist" attempting to pass Federal laws such as Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, otherwise known as HR 54 on Capitol Hill. If you haven't read HR 54 yet, do yourself a favor and take a peek - it's not pretty.

Fortunately, the Holt bill isn't getting much traction on the Hill, but that didn't stop the Senate from adopting the resolution with a 25-6 vote.

Friday, May 22, 2009

The latest on the campus CHL bill

SB 1164 has been reported favorably without amendments out of a formal meeting by the House Committee on Public Safety. As a result, there will be no public hearing in the House to discuss SB 1164 as there was in the Senate.

After the bill is printed on a committee report and distributed, its next destination is the Calendars Committee for scheduling to be read and debated on the House floor.

The clock is ticking, though - the 81st Regular Session of the Texas Legislature ends on Monday, June 1.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Texas Senate passes campus CHL bill

It's official - by a vote of 20-11, the Senate has passed SB 1164, which will allow students with valid Texas CHL licenses to carry concealed handguns at university dorms and classrooms.

SB 1164 now heads for the House, where it will be read for the first time and then referred to committee by the Speakers as per legislative procedure.

Stay tuned...

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

SB 1164 passes Senate hurdle, may face final vote tomorrow

SB 1164, the Senate version of the campus concealed-carry bill, has passed to engrossment as amended by a reported vote of 20-10. Look for a final Senate vote on the bill as early as tomorrow, after which it's the House's turn.

Monday, May 11, 2009

TX House places bill for campus concealed-carry on calendar

HB 1893, "Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on the campuses of institutions of higher education," has been placed on the General State Calendar by the Texas House today. Click here to see the calendar.

The Senate version, SB 1164, is still pending in the Senate Committee on State Affairs as of today.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Does HB 1863 = unregulated full-auto in Texas?

Yesterday, I started discussing Texas House Bill 1863, introduced by Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler). Since then, an important question has surfaced on some online pro-RKBA forums: if passed, would HB 1863 make it legal to possess an unregistered machine gun that was manufactured on Texas soil? Would the National Firearms Act of 1934 be rendered inoperative for any Texas-made firearm that would otherwise be restricted under NFA?

To answer this question, we need to consult Chapter 46 of the Texas Penal Code.

Sec. 46.05(a) explicitly states that an individual has broken Texas law "if he intentionally or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or sells" any weapon designated as a "prohibited weapon" by the Texas penal Code. Sec. 46.05(a)(2) further states that a machine gun, which is defined in Sec. 46.01(9) as "any firearm that is capable of shooting more than two shots automatically, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger," is designated as a "prohibited weapon" under Texas law. However, Sec. 46.05(c) states that compliance with the provisions of NFA "is a defense to prosecution," meaning that any Texas civilian who obtains the proper NFA clearance may legally own a machine gun in the State.

The problem with claiming legal private ownership of an unregistered machine gun under Berman's proposed legislation is that while Sec. 2003.004 of HB 1863 does not exempt machine guns from the provisions of the bill, HB 1863 does not revise or invalidate Sec. 46.05, which is part of the Texas Penal Code and not a Federal statue. This means that any unregistered machine gun in civilian hands, whether or not it was manufactured in the State of Texas, is still subject to the provisions of Sec 46.05, which makes no allowances for civilian ownership in Texas unless predicated by compliance with Sec. 46.05(c).

Contrast the Texas Penal Code with state law in Illinois and Utah to comprehend the significance of the wording of Sec. 46.05. Subsection 24-1(a)(7) and Subsection 24-2(c)(5) of Illinois 720 ILCS 5/Art. 24 make no provision for civilian ownership of machine guns in the State of Illinois under the National Firearms Act, while Title 76, Chapter 10 of the Utah Code does not appear to contain any state laws forbidding civilian ownership of machine guns except for restrictions on possession by anyone younger than 18 years of age as defined in Section 409.4(b). In light of the context of the state laws of Illinois and Utah, and in consideration of the fact that Texas House Bill 1863 does not invalidate any portion of Sec. 46.05 of the Texas Penal Code, any Texan who tries to assert civilian ownership of an unregistered machine gun manufactured in Texas may possibly still face an arrest warrant and felony prosecution under state law.

The context of Sec. 46.05 therefore becomes a matter for legal historians to consider. If one can successfully argue that the provisions of Sec. 46.05 were inserted into Texas state law only after the National Firearms Act of 1934 was signed into law, a case could possibly be made for extensive revision of Sec. 46.05 in order to comply with HB 1863 and defend civilian possession of unregistered Texas-made automatic weapons from prosecution. On the other hand, if one can demonstrate that Texas legislators enacted their own state prohibition on civilian possession of machine guns before NFA was enacted, arguments in favor of unregulated civilian ownership of machine guns manufactured in Texas will be severely undermined, even in light of the provisions of HB 1863.

Any insight into the timeline of firearms prohibitions in the context of Texas state law will therefore be greatly appreciated. Of course, general discussion over the scope and authority of HB 1863 is always welcome.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Texas House Bill 1863: So crazy that it might just become law?

Okay, folks, brace yourselves for this one.

Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) filed a bill on February 26 of this year that apparently went unnoticed by many Texans until this month, when it was reported favorably by the House Committee on Public Safety on Friday, May 1 with 5 Ayes and not a single Nay. The Committee report was sent to Calendars yesterday, and the bill could possibly be heading for a House vote.

The bill in question is HB 1863. Put simply, if passed and signed into law, this bill would make any firearms, firearm parts, or ammunition made and sold in Texas exempt from all Federal firearms regulation. If you legally own a pistol that was made in Texas, as long as you keep it within Texas, you would not have to undergo an NICS background check or adhere to any Federal laws regarding that particular pistol.

Text of HB 1863 (PDF format):
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB01863H.pdf

History of HB 1863 in the Texas Legislature:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=HB1863

The reason for this bill? Rep. Berman explained in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article that HB 1863 "tests our sovereignty in relationship to the federal government, and it would attract new small gun manufacturers to the state to manufacture certain types of weapons and ammunition that are only used in intrastate commerce." This may be yet another push for state soveriegnty, echoing Gov. Rick Perry's April 15 speech in which he hinted at Texas secession from the Union. Me, I'm not too keen on this whole secession business. Texas already tried being an independent nation, and we gave it the old college try, but we fare much better as a state than as a republic.

Every part of a particular firearm would have to be made in Texas in order for HB 1863 to exempt the gun from Federal law, and the gun could never leave Texas soil.

I'll try to follow this in greater detail over the next day or so.

The times, they are a-changin'

Imagine my surprise when I saw this article in today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

http://www.star-telegram.com/238/story/1359894.html

I found the following excerpt to be the most significant:

Even an assault-weapons ban is not the political "sure thing" it once was. An April 23-26 poll by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal found that support for curbing the sale of assault weapons and semiautomatic rifles has dropped from 75 percent in 1991 to 53 percent today.

I would like to get a better look at the poll and the methodology used, of course, but let that number sink in for just a moment. 53 percent. Possibly the lowest number on record.

How on Earth is the Brady Campaign going to spin this?

Monday, May 4, 2009

Welcome, fellow Texas Democrats!

Please join me in launching the official blog for the Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party. The mission of our Caucus is to represent the political interests and views of Democratic gun owners in the State of Texas.

We affirm that civilian ownership of firearms is essential to the preservation of civil rights and civil liberties for all Americans, including our fellow Texans. If you are a Democrat who feels the same way about gun ownership, welcome aboard.

If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see on this blog, don't be shy. Thank you for stopping by!

Daniel Barnett
Chair, Gun Owners Caucus of the Texas Democratic Party