Monday is the deadline to help end Corpus Christi's <3" limit on pocket knives!

[Bladed]

HB 1299 (83(R) HB 1299 - Introduced version - Bill Text) by Representative Jonathan Stickland would prohibit municipalities from regulating knives, personal defense sprays, and electric stun guns, in the same way municipalities are already prohibited from regulating firearms.

Currently, municipal ordinances regulating knives and other self-defense weapons create an unnavigable patchwork of laws across the Lone Star State. Many standard pocketknives that can be legally carried in Austin cannot be legally carried in San Antonio or Corpus Christi. Some knives that can be carried in San Antonio cannot be carried in Corpus Christi and vice versa.

As you probably know, Section 33-73 (ARTICLE IV. - WEAPONS) of the Corpus Christi Municipal Code prohibits carrying any knife with a blade length of 3" or more. In San Antonio, it is perfectly legal to carry a firearm on city-owned property, but it is a crime to enter city-owned property while carrying a pocketknife, a Taser, or a can of pepper spray, and it is illegal to carry a locking-blade pocketknife (the safest and most common type of pocketknife) anywhere within the city. In Texarkana, it is illegal to carry a pocketknife on public transportation. In Melissa, it is illegal to carry a pocketknife wile soliciting (e.g., selling magazine subscriptions). In several cities, it is illegal to carry a pocketknife in a city park. HB 1299 would eliminate this minefield of city ordinances and ensure that honest citizens are not arrested and prosecuted for violating obscure and, in some cases, bizarre laws.

For all intents and purposes, Monday is the last chance for the Texas House Committee on Calendars to schedule HB 1299 for a vote. Please contact the members of the committee, and encourage them to place HB 1299 on the House calendar as soon as possible. If writing, be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number, or your opinion will not be registered.

Texas House Committee on Calendars:

Chairman - Rep. Todd Hunter (R): (512) 463-0672 - todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us
Vice-Chairman - Rep. Eddie Lucio III (D): (512) 463-0606 - eddie.lucio_iii@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D): (512) 463-0408 - roberto.alonzo@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Carol Alvarado (D): (512) 463-0732 - carol.alvarado@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Dan Branch (R): (512) 463-0367 - dan.branch@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Angie Chen Button (R): (512) 463-0486 - angie.button@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Byron Cook (R): (512) 463-0730 - byron.cook@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Myra Crownover (R): (512) 463-0582 - myra.crownover@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Sarah Davis (R): (512) 463-0389 - sarah.davis@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Craig Eiland (D): (512) 463-0502 - craig.eiland@house.state.tx.us
Rep. John Frullo (R): (512) 463-0676 - john.frullo@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Charlie Geren (R): (512) 463-0610 - charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Helen Giddings (D): (512) 463-0953 - helen.giddings@house.state.tx.us
Rep. John Kuempel (R): (512) 463-0602 - john.kuempel@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Doug Miller (R): (512) 463-0325 - doug.miller@house.state.tx.us

VIEW LARGER
​

 

[stdreb27]

Monday is the deadline to help end Corpus Christi's &lt;3" limit on pocket knives!

Crap, I didn't realize my knife was illegal in corpus.

 

[Bladed]

Crap, I didn't realize my knife was illegal in corpus.

Help get this bill passed, and it won't be.

In all seriousness, your situation is a perfect example of why this bill is needed. It is too easy for people who have no intention of breaking the law to find themselves arrested and/or fined (up to $500) for breaking these obscure city ordinances. Ask your friends and family in Corpus to reach out to the Calendars Committee tomorrow (Monday) morning, before it's too late.

 

[stdreb27]

Monday is the deadline to help end Corpus Christi's &lt;3" limit on pocket knives!

Don't worry I've already harassed my "representatives".

 

[Bladed]

By the way, to anyone who only wants to make one phone call or send one email or fax, the most important person to contact is Representative Todd Hunter, the chairman of the Calendars Committee.

Representative Todd Hunter
Chairman of the Texas House Committee on Calendars
Various Methods of Contact (In Order of Preference):
VOICE: 512-463-0672 (Tell the intern or aide who answers that you would like to see House Bill 1299 placed on the House calendar as soon as possible.)
FAX: 512-463-2101 (You can send a free fax from http://FaxZero.com; be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number in the fax.)
EMAIL: todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us (Be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number in the email.)

 

[Bladed]

There is still time to call/fax/email!

 

[transplanttexan]

Email sent, will call when I leave work!

 

[SC-Texas]

Ill email tonight

 

[Bladed]

HB 1299 has been scheduled as the absolute last bill on the House calendar. That's how the Calendars Committee keeps their hands clean while deliberately killing a bill.

In the history of the Texas House, they've probably never once gotten to the last bill on the calendar before time ran out.

 

[Bladed]

[FONT]House Bill 1299 (knife preemption) may not be completely dead! We may have a chance to pass the HB 1299 language (http://is.gd/ahJX3V) as an amendment to HB 1862 (http://is.gd/JIYhys) but ONLY if H[/FONT][FONT]B 1862 receives a committee hearing/vote by the end of this coming Saturday (May 18). If you still want to see Texas municipalities preempted () from regulating knives, this is what you need to do:[/FONT][FONT]

Contact the Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, and ask them to schedule HB 1862 for a committee hearing as soon as possible (be nice--we need their support). A phone call or fax is preferable to an email. If you call, simply voice your request to the intern/aide who answers. If you email or fax, be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number.

Chairman John Whitmire (D) - 512-463-0115v / 512-475-3737f / john.whitmire@senate.state.tx.us

Vice Chairwoman Joan Huffman (R) - 512-463-0117v / 512-463-0639f / joan.huffman@senate.state.tx.us

Remember, you can send five free faxes per day from http://faxzero.com/.[/FONT]

 

[Bladed]

Great work, everybody! HB 1862 is scheduled for a Senate committee hearing. If the committee passes it, our supporters in the Senate can attempt to attach the HB 1299 language as an amendment.

 

[Bladed]

Unfortunately, although Sen. Hinojosa (the Senate sponsor of HB 1862) was willing to accept the preemption language as an amendment, Rep. Dutton (the bill's author) was not, so it looks like preemption will have to wait until 2015.