A Houston homeowner shot two trespassers who had entered his property without permission and began assaulting people at his home early Saturday morning. The shooter hit both men and the shots ended up killing one of them, according to deputies.

The shooting happened about 12:30 a.m. According to police deputies, the two men, identified as 24-year-old Hashem Abu Amarah and 20-year-old Faisal Abu Amarah, walked up to the people who lived at the home and assaulted them. They said that at that point, the unnamed homeowner went inside, grabbed his gun and fired at both of the men.

Hashem Amarah died at the scene, deputies said. While Faisal Amarah was flown to Memorial Hermann Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition at the time of writing this article.

Investigators also added that the Amarahs had recently threatened the homeowner about a burglary report that was filed last year. Faisal Amarah was arrested and charged because of the report, but that case was later dismissed.

Deputies said the shooting is still under investigation.

A robbery suspect was shot several times in Beaumont by a man who was walking to his car at his apartment complex.

Police received a call at about 9:42 p.m. from a man who told dispatchers that an armed man had attempted to rob him according to a release from the Beaumont Police Department. The caller also added to the 911 dispatchers that the suspect may be dead.

But when officers arrived at the apartments in the 2100 block of McFaddin Street they found a 35-year-old Beaumont man on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso.

The intended victim told officers that he was heading to his car when the suspect confronted him with a handgun and attempted to rob him.

The near victim, who was lucky to be carrying his concealed carry handgun, was able to get to his firearm and fired several shots at the suspect, police said.

The wounded suspect, who had arrived before the attempted robbery in a silver Dodge truck that was stolen from Westlake, La, was transported to Christus St Elizabeth hospital with injuries that hospital staff said were serious but not life-threatening.

The shooting remains under investigation and no charges have been filed against the concealed carrier.

The Medina Independent School District in Bandera County is home to 303 students, and according to a sign placed by an entrance Wednesday, a few firearm-toting faculty members.

“Attention,” reads the sign placed in front of the school. “Please be aware that the staff at Medina ISD may be armed and will use whatever force is necessary to protect our students.”

The school hosts students from kindergarten through high school. Superintendent Penny White said the board of trustees had decided to put up the sign after about a year of discussion.

“You never know if there’s a transient or someone who has zeroed in on harming a child,” White said.

Two other signs will be added to the other entrances of the school, so no matter what way a visitor enters, they will have been warned.

White and board member Dr. James Lindstrom said there was no specific event that prompted the discussion. Lindstrom said it was “the general environment nationally.”

White, whose son attends the school, hopes the sign will deter not just school shootings, but any sort of violence. She used the example of parents in a custody battle who might try to pick up a child and disappear with them or someone in the middle of a divorce who might think they could start a fight at the school.

“I think that anybody who might have a thought about harming someone in mind might think twice about it,” White said.

White also pointed out the remote location of the district.

“We’re 20 minutes or 25 minutes from Bandera,” she said, “That’s our closest law enforcement.”

And while the school itself looked to protect itself, the residents around the school shared something not often seen today with regards to schools and firearms. Support.

“Schools have been a target for, for lack of a better word, crazy people, and I’m perfectly fine with it,” said Jillian Sides, whose two sons are in seventh grade and kindergarten at the school.

The signs only say staff may be armed. If any actually are, White isn’t telling.

“We don’t divulge anything about our safety plan because it would compromise the plan,” she said.

But for those who are thinking about starting any sort of ruckus, it appears that this school should be well off their radar.

At the Pharr Town Center’s Cinemark movie theater, a Texas border law enforcement official had been carrying his service pistol and badge concealed. When the cop was putting his wallet in his pocket, he momentarily displayed the handgun and badge around his waist. At that point, the theater management whose names were only released as Mrs. Vega and Mr. Scott demanded that the police officer disarm.

“They had stated that they had the authority under the posted 30.06 and 30.07 sign to ask him to disarm or leave,” a prepared statement from South Texas Sheepdogs revealed.

The comment refers to Texas law that prohibits the carrying of firearms by civilians with a license to carry in private business with those signs. However, the sign does not apply to Texas peace officers. The law enforcement official went back to his vehicle to drop off his weapon and badge in order to be able to watch the movie with his family.

After hearing from a statement made by the officer, members of South Texas Sheepdogs posted the information on their Facebook page and began to communicate to other pro-law enforcement pages nationwide to spread word about the incident in Pharr. Over the 9/11 weekend, the Facebook post by South Texas Sheepdogs had more than 66,000 views.

This article is meant to take a look at Texas’s open and concealed carry laws so that you folks can get a better idea what is and is not legal in the state.

Texas protects the right to bear arms under Article I, Section 23 of the state constitution, but this does not mean that everyone may carry a gun, or that you may always carry a gun wherever you like. Texas requires a concealed carry permit to carry a weapon concealed on (or near) you body or vehicle unless you are in your own premises (or premises under your control, such as a house that you rent), or inside (or directly en route to) your motor vehicle or watercraft.

A person applying for a license to carry a handgun must apply by obtaining a request for application materials from a handgun dealer, the Department of Public Safety, or any other person approved by the department.  The Department of Public Safety shall review all applications materials and make a preliminary determination as to whether or not the individual is qualified to receive a handgun license. The Department will forward application materials to qualified applicants, or send written notification with the reasons that that the preliminary review indicates the individual is not qualified to receive a license.  On receipt of the application materials a criminal history record check is conducted by the Department of Public Safety.  The Department must issue or deny the license within 60 days of receipt of the completed application. The Department must be notified within 30 days of a name or address change.

However, not everyone is able to carry in the state. The following individuals are prohibited from carrying a weapon (open or concealed) in Texas.

• people younger than 21 years
• people who are not legal residents of Texas for at least six months prior to the date of application
• people convicted of a felony offense or charged with the commission of specified misdemeanors within the last five years
• someone who has committed an offense in the past ten years as a juvenile delinquent that, if committed as an adult, would have been a felony
• those under a court protective order or restraining order having to do with domestic offenses
• people who are delinquent in making child support payments as collected by the attorney general
• people who are delinquent in state tax payments
• fugitives from justice
• chemically dependent people
• those incapable of exercising sound judgment regarding the proper use of a handgun, and
• people who are not qualified to carry a handgun under federal law.

Now, there are certainly additional questions as well as more in-depth looks into such things as gun penalties and what public places do or do not allow concealed or open carry firearms. We will be going over those in specific articles, later on, due to the complexity of some of the situations. For right now, however, we have a wonderful FAQ page on our Texas site with a lot of helpful information.

If you have specific questions that you would like covered in future articles about Texas’s open carry laws, shoot us a comment below, and we will make sure to add them to future reports.

Information compounded from the NRA and Texas state legal texts.

Photo courtesy of Yahoo News

Following the recent campus carry ruling in Texas, it is now okay to bring concealed carry handguns into University of Texas at Austin classrooms. This is common knowledge by this point, as the debate has been raging for over a year. Now, a new player has entered the fold as angry students and faculty are fighting back with dildos.

Wednesday was the first day of school at the University of Texas, and the group Gun Free UT marked the occasion with a “Cocks Not Glocks” rally on campus. Protesters planned to bring more than 4,000 free dildos to give away at the protest.

“We’re fighting absurdity with absurdity,” activist Ana López told the paper.

So on Wednesday, hundreds of students turned up to receive free dildos from protesters and support the cause of keeping concealed carry guns off of campus. The crowds got so big at one point that activists were throwing boxes of sex toys into large groups of people.

The dildos were the centerpiece of the attention, but many students and faculty have serious concerns about the new gun policy.

“I’m gonna feel way less safe,” sophomore Bianca Montgomery said. “You shouldn’t have to wonder if your classmates are carrying concealed weapons right next to you. You come here to learn, you don’t come here to fear for your life.”

But Texas’s new campus carry law is now officially in place. The law went into effect on August 1, and a lawsuit by three professors failed to stop it when it was overruled by a federal judge on Tuesday, and there are no other planned legal proceedings in the pipeline. However, students are planning on continuing to exercise their 1st amendment rights about prohibiting others 2nd amendment rights.

Photo courtesy of  utsystem.edu

On August 24th The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) in Odessa will return to classes, and for the first time, students and faculty will be allowed, to carry a gun into campus buildings. The new law, SB 11, passed through the state legislation last summer and went into effect on August 1st.

The law states that those who wish to carry a gun, must do so with the firearm concealed and must be a legal resident of Texas or otherwise eligible for a nonresident license. They must also be at least 21 years of age and never been convicted or charged with any type of criminal activity.

There are some exclusion zones, on the campus, where even concealed carry will not be permitted. Such as the child care facility and sporting events. If you were to plan to make a trip, we have provided a full list of zones not permitted to carry right here.

However, concealed firearms will be allowed in the classroom. Not just in Odessa, but in campuses around the state. Which is prompting a group of unsettled professors from the University of Texas in Austin to file a lawsuit against Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas.

In their arguments, the professors’ claim that the law violates the first and second amendments.

Their first amendment argument states that with concealed carry on the campus, they will lose their ability to freely teach in the classroom. “It is inevitable that they (professors) will have to pull back, consciously or sub-consciously, at important junctures in classroom exposition and discussion,” the lawsuit states.

Ellen Spiro, professor of Radio, Television, and Film at the University of Texas at Austin and co-founder of Gun Free UT, said, “the idea of a loaded lethal weapon in a classroom instills fear, and it is meant to instill fear in a place that is about freedom of thought.”

In response, Attorney General Paxton called the idea ridiculous. He wrote in a brief that professors saw students as “ticking time-bombs who are likely to commit acts of violence if they are allowed to carry a handgun in class where they are exposed to [their] ideas.”

As for the second amendment, the professors’ argument is that concealed weapons have to be obtained with proper training, but the law in place does not offer enough of it. If professors have to allow guns in their classrooms, then there is enough “reason for the policy and that their regulation of the concealed carrying of handguns on college campuses is ‘well-regulated.’ Current facts indicate that they cannot do so,” says the lawsuit.

So Paxton and the many in the Texas government say that the next step is to simply throw out the lawsuit, but from the strong tone being used on the anti-gun side, it is pretty safe to say that this fight might last for quite a while. For the time being though, campus carry is the reality in Odessa and around the State of Texas.

Photo courtesy of KCBD-TV

At La Super Carniceria in North Lubbock this past Tuesday, August 9th; police were called to a scene in which a person had been shot in the back of a delivery truck in the store’s parking lot.

As police looked into the scene, they saw that the person in the back of the delivery truck was still alive and injured, after having been shot through the leg. Interviews with an unnamed store employee told the story of the strange scene. According to the source, the delivery truck and driver were bringing fresh bread to the store, and in the process of moving the items inside, the driver had left his truck open and unattended. During this time, a man in a black car pulled up, got out, and began grabbing merchandise out of the truck’s delivery load. During one of these trips, the robber was met by the delivery truck driver, who was frightened to see the assailant begin reaching into his pocket, seemingly to indicate that he had a weapon.

Now, this is a terrifying spot for anybody, and in a situation such as this, you have but a few seconds to react. Thankfully for this driver, he knew just what to do. The driver had a concealed carry permit and was indeed carrying that day, and in a microsecond of time, the driver pulled out his firearm, aimed to wound and fired at the assailant, as mentioned before, hitting the man in the leg.

The police recovered the stolen items from the truck and as for the suspect, he was sent to the hospital for his injuries and has since been released, with charges in the process of being filed.

In the aftermath it was also found out that the attempted robber was a former employee of La Super Carniceria.

As for the driver, no charges have been filed as he was well within his legal rights as a certified concealed carry permit holder to do what he needed to to protect himself from imminent danger.

Photo Courtesy of dallasnews.com

In Austin, this week, Ken Paxton, Texas’ attorney general decided to file a suit against the city, claiming that the state capitol building has broken Texas’ concealed carry state law, by banning guns from inside the city hall.

Paxton claims that the city hall is violating a law that was approved last year for Texans to openly carry handguns. The defense of the ban from city hall, is that the building is exempt due to the law’s “government court” exception, which prohibits them “on the premises of any government court or offices utilized by the court,” unless a written regulation or the individual court authorizes it.

Paxton, however argues in the lawsuit, that Austin City Hall does not qualify for the exemption, as it is not utilized by the courts, and shouldn’t be posting signs banning licensed carriers from carrying in the building or on the premises.

“I will always make sure that governments do not trample on the Second Amendment rights of Texans, and if they do, we will sue,” Paxton said, during a statement.

The city of Austin, replied, however, that it is prepared for the fight.

“The City’s position has remained consistent. It is a criminal offense under Texas law to possess or carry a handgun on the premises of a government court or offices used by the court,” a city spokesperson said. “Because the City of Austin Municipal Court conducts court proceedings in the Austin City Hall building and maintains office space for court personnel we believe state law prohibits possessing or carrying a weapon in City Hall (except by law enforcement personnel). We are prepared to defend this lawsuit and look forward to having this matter resolved by a court.”

• It’s only for licensed Permit Holders. This means you have to be 21 and have completed the training course, passed the background check, and be in possession of your permit issued by the state at the time you are carrying. For more information on how to receive a Texas Conceal Carry Permit or LTC, checkout our training schedule at http://www.texasfirearmclass.com/
• It only applies to public universities. Private schools can still choose to ban guns under state law. At the moment all private universities in the state, with one exception, have elected to keep their campuses gun-free. The notable, but small exception is Amberton University, which has less than 2,000 students and doesn’t enroll anyone under age 21 has chosen to allow campus CCW. Also, Community colleges have until August 2017 to adjust their policies and security to allow weapons on their campuses.
• Open Carry is not allowed. In spite of recent passing of Texas laws that allow permit holders to open carry handguns in public as of January 2016. The new law specifically makes college campuses an exception so openly displaying firearms in classrooms is not an option. This means having a good concealed carry holster, that won’t print or reveal you are carrying, is a must. For our list of good options check out our reviews here: http://www.usafirearmtraining.com/gear/top-concealed-carry-holsters-reviewed/ and our top pick, the incredibly popular Brave Response Holster click here: http://www.usafirearmtraining.com/product/brave-response-holster/
• Rules vary from school-to-school. Schools can determine off-limit areas. As a general rule, the law states that it allows guns in buildings, classrooms and dormitories, but it does give some limited discretion to school officials to determine where permit holders are allowed to have guns. School officials are required to map out where restricted areas are, and post signs to notify permit holders. State law also still prohibits weapons from campus hospitals and sporting events.
• August 1st is significant because the bill comes into effect on the anniversary of the Charles Whitman’s shooting rampage at the University of Texas, where an armed sniper shot and killed 17 people from the university’s famous clock tower. It has come to be accepted as the nations first mass shooting. Those in support of the changes feel its a step in the right direction toward preventing further violence. Opponents of the bill, expressed concerns about the changes chilling free speech or increasing campus suicide.
• Speaking of Controversy, students and teachers at the University of Texas at Austin vigorously protested the law. That school is now taking advantage of the discretion granted by the law to create stronger restrictions on where students can carry than other colleges. For example, dorm residents can have guns in dining areas and lounges, but not in sleeping quarters, where storage of weapons is banned. The exception to this is visiting family members who are licensed. This same university will allow teachers declare their offices as gun-free zones, though it’s reported that most will post signs. This is much stricter than at other colleges like Texas A&M where students are allowed to keep firearms in their dorm rooms and teachers must get the school administration’s permission to declare their offices a gun-free zone.