Disability Law

Not long ago there was a scare at the State Capitol in Austin when a man fired several shots into the air outside the Capitol building after visiting his senator. The rather logical reaction to this was the installation last month of metal detectors at the Capitol ? just as we have in the Dallas courthouses and at all large airports. But this is where the Texas way of doing things starts to deviate from the norm.

The impetus for the metal detectors was a person carrying a gun in the Capitol. So you would assume that people will not now be allowed to carry guns when visiting our senators and representatives, right? Wrong.

You see, we will have three separate lines to get into the State Capitol. One for the common folk, one for lawmakers and their staffs, and a third line for concealed handgun license holders. Because that third line will be considerably shorter than the first one, many of the approximately 1500 registered lobbyists (about eight lobbyists for each Texas lawmaker) are obtaining their concealed carry permits. They don't necessarily feel the need to carry weapons when meeting with lawmakers, but they do want to avoid the long waiting line. Of course, considering the fact that many Texas legislators themselves carry handguns both in and out of the Capitol, it might be a good idea to be armed if you plan to say anything that would upset them.

This all shouldn't be a great surprise, as the Capitol was never included on the list of places where you cannot bring a weapon after the concealed carry law was passed in 1995. Still, it does seem a bit odd to install metal detectors and then continue to allow guns inside the Capitol. Oh well, it will keep life interesting for Texas politicians.