In another victory for Texans’ right to protect themselves, the Dallas Arboretum has removed signs wrongfully prohibiting Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders from bringing firearms onto the property, joining the Houston Zoo and Austin City Hall in doing so after complaints by the public.
A 2003 law allows Texas CHL holders to bring firearms onto most taxpayer-owned public properties (except schools, courts and a few other places), but some public institutions retained their “No Guns” signs and policies. A law passed this year puts teeth into the 2003 law by giving citizens legal recourse with the attorney general, who can impose fines of up to $10,500 per day upon entities that refuse to comply.
About 20 complaints have been filed so far. As Alice Tripp, a lobbyist for the Texas State Rifle Association, put it, “Public property—property that is owned by the taxpayers—shouldn’t be closed off.”
