concealed carry in parks?

[styxtx]

Anyone have any experience carrying concealed in state parks? According to Texas law you must inform LEO's and park and wildlife officers. But, does any one know is there a 30.06 law already in place for state parks, or does it vary from park to park?

 

[HK4U]

It is lawful to carry in any state park in Texas.

 

[tattedupboy]

Texas has more places listed as off limits than any other shall issue state, but surprisingly, state parks aren't among them.

 

[Couzin]

Please keep in mind that some TPWD parks are actually on leased/licensed lands belonging by the US Army Corps of Engineers (Cooper/Jim Chapman; Town Bluff/Steinhagen; Atlanta State Park on Wright Patman; Lake Whitney; OC Fisher), and you are still prohibited by the USACE federal regulations from having firearms on them unless legally hunting. You can be cited by USACE personnel. Hopefully this will change now that the National Park Service has changed (9 Jan 09) their regulation regarding licensed concealed carry.

 

[RPB]

Correct

For example Lake Whitney, COE lake, Whitney State Park, on COE property = your license is not valid. Ray Roberts Lake State Park etc same situation.

We are taught that a Concealed Handgun Licensee CAN carry (After February 22, 2010 in [some?] National Parks) and already in LCRA parks, ALL City Parks, ALL County Parks and ....
SOME State parks, and SOME some TPWD parks but SOME State Parks/lakes/some TPWD parks [maybe some National Parks too?] are leased from, and on Corps of Engineers property.

Corps of Engineers prohibits concealed handgun licensees from carrying protection from rattlesnakes, packs of wild feral hogs or other predators (like in the movie Deliverance) even if you have training and background checks and a license.

So, we needed to know which State Parks and some TPWD parks NOT to go to, like Whitney for example, which is a Corps of Engineers property.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Frequently Asked Questions
May I have a firearm in the park? A concealed handgun permit is not valid on Federal property. The possession of a firearm and/or ammunition is prohibited.

Here's Corps of Engineers property list, so we know not to go there
Link Removed

So, even though State Parks are "OK", NOT the ones which are COE properties.

We'll camp, fish, go boating, picnic, and spend our dollars elsewhere, thank you. (Even though our taxes support those "public property" places that are infringing on our rights.)


Check before you go ... just because Georgetown Lake is near Georgetown, and TPWD Game Wardens may be out there, it doesn't mean it's City, County or State property, and your license isn't valid there on COE property. Likewise with Waco, Belton ..... etc etc etc.


I'm NOT a lawyer

 

[Horkos]

Correct

For example Lake Whitney, COE lake, Whitney State Park, on COE property = your license is not valid. Ray Roberts Lake State Park etc same situation.

We are taught that a Concealed Handgun Licensee CAN carry (After February 22, 2010 in [some?] National Parks) and already in LCRA parks, ALL City Parks, ALL County Parks and ....
SOME State parks, and SOME some TPWD parks but SOME State Parks/lakes/some TPWD parks [maybe some National Parks too?] are leased from, and on Corps of Engineers property.

Corps of Engineers prohibits concealed handgun licensees from carrying protection from rattlesnakes, packs of wild feral hogs or other predators (like in the movie Deliverance) even if you have training and background checks and a license.

So, we needed to know which State Parks and some TPWD parks NOT to go to, like Whitney for example, which is a Corps of Engineers property.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Frequently Asked Questions
May I have a firearm in the park? A concealed handgun permit is not valid on Federal property. The possession of a firearm and/or ammunition is prohibited.

Here's Corps of Engineers property list, so we know not to go there
Link Removed

So, even though State Parks are "OK", NOT the ones which are COE properties.

We'll camp, fish, go boating, picnic, and spend our dollars elsewhere, thank you. (Even though our taxes support those "public property" places that are infringing on our rights.)


Check before you go ... just because Georgetown Lake is near Georgetown, and TPWD Game Wardens may be out there, it doesn't mean it's City, County or State property, and your license isn't valid there on COE property. Likewise with Waco, Belton ..... etc etc etc.


I'm NOT a lawyer

Couldn't there have been a simpler less color coordinated way of making this statement? Cause now I'm confused and dizzy.

 

[Itstjs]

In Michigan, you need not inform any.

 

[nogods]

Why does Texas prohibit carry in amusement parks, race tracks, and places of worship? Are people less likely to be at risk of attack in those places?

 

[RPB]

Why does Texas prohibit carry in amusement parks, race tracks, and places of worship? Are people less likely to be at risk of attack in those places?

Actually, churches/hospitals/amusement parks etc are not automatically prohibited any more, but each individual congregation/business is allowed to post the proper 30.06 sign prohibiting licensees from carrying.


Churches used to be prohibited, then there was a mass church shooter in Fort Worth area, so we added the exception above stating it does not apply unless there is a proper sign under 30.06 Penal Code, allowing self-defense at churches, (unless a church votes to prohibit and installs proper signs so mass shooters can get more of the flock.)


Racetracks, we hardly have any, I'm not sure, probably few CHLs go to them, money is better spent on new guns and more ammo than racetracks, (I actually forgot we have any tracks) Texans always vote "no gambling, take our money to Louisiana instead, so maybe they want racetracks having defenseless victims ... I dunno.


Notice this important amendment to this law:
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/docs/PE/htm/PE.46.htm
Sec. 46.035. UNLAWFUL CARRYING OF HANDGUN BY LICENSE HOLDER.

(i) Subsections (b)(4)[hospital], (b)(5)[amusement parks], (b)(6) [churches], and (c)[governmental meetings] do not apply if the actor was not given effective notice under Section 30.06.

===================================

Definition is so specific, it only encompasses a few parks, and only if they post the proper sign


(f) In this section:

(1) "Amusement park" means a permanent indoor or outdoor facility or park where amusement rides are available for use by the public that is located in a county with a population of more than one million, encompasses at least 75 acres in surface area, is enclosed with access only through controlled entries, is open for operation more than 120 days in each calendar year, and has security guards on the premises at all times. The term does not include any public or private driveway, street, sidewalk or walkway, parking lot, parking garage, or other parking area.



Some "Amusement parks" are "posted properly" some are not.
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At the latest Legislative hearings, the signs came down and people attending hearings on whether or not guns will be allowed in school libraries, classrooms etc as they already are outdoors on campuses are not having to leave their guns out in the car to testify any more. Now people can be armed even while giving legislative testimony on the Senate and House of Representatives hearings (and many are)

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Texas realized that EVERY MASS SHOOTING IN TEXAS occurred in a "gun-free zone"

Texas is eliminating many of them. Or (at least by default,) there are fewer "defenseless victim zones, the churches, amusement parks, hospitals, government meetings must CHOOSE to be defenseless victim zones and post proper signs informing everyone of that decision.

 

[watchingdennis]

Why does Texas prohibit carry in amusement parks, race tracks, and places of worship? Are people less likely to be at risk of attack in those places?

To answer your question: when concealed carry was first being drafted, the only way it could get support was to allow people to add their limitations if they would vote for CC. It's taking years, but Texas is slowing reversing all these stipulations one at a time.

 

[Nightmare45]

Gun free zones provide excellent hunting for the criminals.