CITY'S RESPONSE TO LIBRARY SHOOTING A GOOD PHOTO-OP

 

Special to El Rrun-Rrun

In what has now become their modus operandi, the City of Brownsville and the Brownsville Police Department are making full use of the city's propaganda dream machine to assure library patrons that they are safe by showing P.D. Officer R. Garza and his canine (K-9) Sonia "maintaining security" there.

This comes after a man shot another man to death with a handgun two weeks ago today (May 11)  inside the lobby while parents with their children were present. 

 But while the photos assuring library patrons that they were safe with an armed officer and his pooch there, the sad reality is that legislature passed by the gun-rights zealots in the Republican majority in Austin and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott have made it  perfectly legal for individuals to conceal carry firearms inside libraries.

In fact, the man who sot and killed the other was entirely within his Second Amendment rights to have a gun there according to Texas law.

Police arrested Humberto Paz, a military reservist from 2008 to 2016 who was never deployed, for the shooting of 71 year old Vahid Khaledi, a Houston resident who was visiting the library that day. 

City officials – after meeting with police and security experts – say they want to have a "conversation" with the public on how to address future situations.

“We are meeting with our local law enforcement as well as security experts who deal with this type of event and assessing what type of extra measures can be put in place for a facility of this type,” said Roy De Los Santos, District 3 City Commissioner for Brownsville. "We do plan to reach out to the public as well and have conversations so that way we understand what all of their concerns are.”

But the conceal carry in public places may be outside the purview of local officials, according to Erin Gamez, Texas State Representative District 38. She said that the legislature is controlled by pro-gun advocates who will never vote to pass any state law that smacks of gun control.

"I tried to introduce a bill last session that would require a person released from mental institution from being allowed to possess a firearm and I couldn't even get anyone to co-sponsor it and get it in the calendar," she said. "The laws related to conceal carry now allow anyone over 21 to carry a gun in many public places without having to get a license."

According to the AustinTexas.gov website on concealed/open carry, "In most cases, public library districts (or cities) may not prohibit individuals from bringing handguns into the library, so long as the weapons are concealed or in a holster. Public libraries are not specifically referenced as a place where weapons are prohibited by state law (see Texas Penal Code §46.03)

And further, "Handguns are not allowed at a library, even for licensed carriers, (only) at the following times: during school-sponsored activities on library grounds (Texas Penal Code §46.03(a)(1)) or during early voting or on election day if the library is a polling place (Texas Penal Code §46.03(a)(2)

The following is allowed by state law for handgun owners:

Allowed: Public areas of city facilities, like libraries and recreation centers
Beginning September 1, 2021, HB1927 made it legal in Texas for most people 21 or over to carry a handgun in a holster without a permit both openly and/or concealed.

This law modified the previous open carry law from 2016 by eliminating the requirement to have a license to carry.

Since Paz was over 21, he was within his "rights" to carry a handgun concealed and without a license to carry.

Friday was the last day of early voting, so the appearance of the police officer and his dog to watch out for people with guns that day was within the law.

But now, with the library not serving as a polling place or hosting a school event, anyone over 21 can carry/conceal and – even if the officer may know that an individual is carrying a firearm inside the library – he cannot arrest him, confiscate his weapon, or ask him to leave.

So while the photo op is nice and reassuring, the fact of the matter is that things remain the same as before the shooting and no one can deprive some other crazy of his Second Amendment rights. In short, the presence of an armed officer and his canine pal is a false assurance that the problem is being addressed.