Wednesday, July 17, 1996

Supporters claim stats show concealed gun law working

By ANNA M. TINSLEY
Harte-Hanks Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - Sixty-seven gunshots have been reported fired by Texans legally carrying concealed handguns since Jan. 1 - 40 of those by a drunk Texan shooting a tree in a Garland park.

Another Texan accidently shot himself in the seat of his pants.

Predictions that the 7-month-old concealed handgun law would bring a revival of Old West shootouts in the streets haven't come true, as evidenced by new statistics, lawmakers said Tuesday.

"I guess it would be safe to say that we have not had OK Corral every Saturday night," said state Rep. Bill Carter, R-Fort Worth, one of the bill's sponsors.

Nearly 82,000 Texans have received permits.

Of those, two have killed themselves.

And two Texans have been fatally shot by holders of concealed handgun licenses. In one of those cases, a grand jury declined to indict. The other is pending.

The House of Representatives' Public Safety Subcommittee met Tuesday to discuss implementation of the concealed handgun bill, also known as Senate Bill 60. Carter, along with state Reps. Ray Allen, R-Grand Prairie, and Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, attended the hearing.

More than a handful of state officials - ranging from those representing the National Rifle Association to the Texas Municipal Police Association - spoke in favor of the law.

"I think our streets are safer and our society is a little bit safer," Carter said.

In the first 150 days, there were 23 documented incidents involving permit holders. Fifteen people were arrested and five were wounded, said Dudley Thomas, assistant director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

And 481 Texans have been denied permits, Thomas said.
Some law enforcement officials had worried that letting Texans carry concealed guns would affect routine traffic stops. But DPS trooper E.C. Sherman said few problems have occurred.

The proper procedure for Texans with concealed handgun permits during traffic stops is to hand the officer the permit along with insurance records.

The driver should immediately tell - not show - the officer where the gun is in the car.

"We had very few instances where we found it necessary to temporarily disarm" Texans for precautionary measures, Sherman said.

Tarrant County Sheriff David Williams said those who feared the bill would bring about pandemonium had been proven wrong.

"The people who obtain permits aren't the criminals," he said.

The state's comptroller had estimated there would be 76,632 applications sent in during the first fiscal year. That figure was surpassed in May, Thomas said.

There have been 265,000 applications mailed out and 91,000 completed applications returned to the DPS, Thomas said. It now takes an average of 66 days - which is under the state-required goal of 90 days - to issue a license. Thomas said he expects the wait time to be down to 60 days by January.

There are a few kinks yet to be worked out in the bill, Texans said.

Gib Lewis, former speaker of the House who initiated public surveys to determine if Texans would support a concealed handgun bill, attended the hearing as a representative for the NRA.

After complimenting DPS troopers on the job they have done - and continue to do - on issuing concealed handgun permits, Lewis said the NRA has a list of suggestions for changes to the bill during the next legislative session, which begins in January.

Lewis declined to detail those suggestions at this time.

Other suggestions include changing the law's language to clarify exactly where guns are forbidden. An ongoing debate about where concealed guns can be carried has raged since the bill was signed by Gov. George W. Bill last year.

Lawmakers have said they believe "legislative intent" has been ignored or stretched in several areas.