Austin (1080 KRLD) - By the vote 81-to-62 the Texas House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 20 (SB20). State Representative Cole Hefner sponsored the bill in the House, authored the companion bill and amended it. The original bill that came from the Texas Senate would seek to strengthen legal protection for lawful gun owners by prohibiting hotels from adopting certain restrictive handgun policies.
Hefner amended SB20 in the House to replace the word “handgun” with “firearms and ammunition”. “I’m going to have certain rights, but they’re going to extend from my home to my vehicle to my temporary home for the night,” said Hefner as he rolled out the bill on the House floor.
House Democrats opposed the bill. State Representative Chris Turner argued against it. “We’re saying, that’s OK, you can take as many AR-15’s and sniper rifles into a high-rise hotel room, as you like, and there is nothing anyone can do about it,” said Turner.
He went on to say that SB20 would ensure that the large Texas Cities will never get another national convention. “You say someone could be in a high-rise hotel with AR-15’s and sniper rifles, Secret Service is never going to let a President of the United States, or Presidential nominee within a hundred miles of a high-rise hotel in Texas if this bill passes.”
Due to Hefner’s amendment changing handgun to firearm, the bill now needs Senate approval before heading to Governor Abbott’s desk.
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