Bill would allow district clerks to carry handguns to work

It has bipartisan support in the Senate. 

AUSTIN, Texas — One gun-related bill that’s advancing through the Texas Senate would allow district clerks to carry handguns to work if they have proper training. County, district and U.S. attorneys can already do this. Senate Bill 599 was filed by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, after a constituent expressed his concerns. 

Jon Gimble is a district clerk in Sen. Birdwell’s Waco-area district. He said the bill would help him feel safer coming to and leaving work. He also said he sometimes has to handle large sums of money alone. 

“We don’t have security after hours,” Gimble said. 

The bill was met with some criticism during public testimony last week. Cheryl Foster, a Waco resident, said the bill is “ridiculous, silly and really not necessary.” 

Still, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs voted unanimously to advance the legislation. There are three Democrats on the committee.

“For me, the gun issue, or gun ownership, or proper common-sense gun ownership, is not a partisan issue,” said Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio. “I understand and support the Second Amendment right to own and carry a gun. But also know that it says it should be regulated, and that means the government does have a role, and this is a perfect example of that. That’s why people shouldn’t be afraid of government saying when and where. Have some permitting. No one’s saying you can’t own a gun. It’s just saying that you need to be, in my opinion, safe and responsible in your gun ownership.” 

If this bill passes, district clerks would need to pass a handgun training course. That’s something the lawmakers and one pro-gun advocate support.

“I highly advocate for training, and I think district clerks should get as much training as they can too,” said Wes Virdell, the Texas state director for Gun Owners of America.

Sen. Menéndez added that district clerks are doing the right thing by asking lawmakers to change the law.

“They don’t want to break the law,” he said. “Some might say they don’t even need this, since you already have constitutional carry, which means permitless carry. This actually requires them to get a license to carry. And so, this is actually a better step if you’re moving in the direction of knowing who has, who doesn’t have [the right to carry]. And the fact is that they’re coming before the legislature to ask for that right.”

Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, filed an identical bill in the House. He said district clerks deserve to be able to protect themselves like their other courthouse colleagues. And, he added that House Bill 1648 is important because courthouses can also be hostile environments.

“Divorces, bankruptcy or criminal issues,” Rep. Anderson said. “And [district clerks] have to work in that environment every day. And on a fairness side, most other folks — court officials — are able to carry. So I don’t see any reason why the county clerk shouldn’t be able to do that also.”

Although she likes the training requirement, Nicole Golden, the executive director of Texas Gun Sense, said putting more guns in more places doesn’t make Texas safer.

“That’s been a trend for a while, and we’ve faced escalating rates of gun violence,” Golden said. “So I don’t know that it’s working as a measure to prevent gun violence.” 

She said she was a little bit surprised that the three Democrats on the Senate State Affairs Committee — Sen. Menéndez, plus senators Judith Zaffirini and Morgan LaMantia — voted in favor of advancing the bill, but she also sees the positive side.

“It is really hard to come together on bipartisan solutions in this building to prevent issues like gun violence,” she said. “And so individuals may be looking for some ways to come together on some initiatives, and I hope they do that on some gun safety bills, too.”

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