April 7, 1999
The letter of the law
WESTON WARE (right) of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission demonstrates to Pastor John Theilepape of Meadow Lane Baptist Church in Arlington what it would take for his church to meet the letter of current Texas law to ban concealed weapons from its facilities. Under a 1997 amendment to the Texas Right to Carry Concealed Weapons Law, any church that wants to prohibit concealed handguns on its premises must post large signs to that effect at every entrance. "Churches are being held hostage by a 30.06--that is, Section 30.06 of the Penal Code," Ware said. Meanwhile, a bill that would cut through the signage requirements and ban handguns in church buildings remains stuck in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee and the Senate State Affairs Committee. Ware hopes Texas Baptists will contact members of those two committees, urging them to send the bill on to the House and Senate for floor debate. The chairman of the House committee is Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen. The chairman of the Senate committee is Florence Shapiro, R-Plano.
Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!