Ohio Democratic state Sen. Cecil Thomas, who is a former Cincinnati police officer, said Wednesday he will introduce a bill to give cities local control over open- or concealed-carry rules during events of regional or national significance.  The bill in essence would give local politicians and city governments the power to strip Ohioans of their 2nd Amendment rights during events deemed appropriate by these government employees.

Cecil Thomas, a former Cincinnati cop declined to offer additional comments regarding the constitutionality of his proposal or how this law would conflict with the needs of self defense that citizens may have especially in the emergency situations specified by the law.

The proposal comes on the heels of the head of Cleveland’s largest police union calling on Ohio Gov. John Kasich to temporarily restrict the state’s open carry gun laws during this week’s Republican National Convention.

Stephen Loomis the president of Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association said, “I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point” and proposed that the Ohio Governor temporarily suspends the rights of Americans to carry firearms for self defense. The statement drew mocking and criticism on social media from enthusiastic gun owners, calling Stephen Looming an “oath breaker” and asking for his resignation.

“The idea the cops are enthusiastically defending our constitutional rights is a myth,” said Virgil Vaduva of Ohio Open Carry, an organization promoting and defending the rights of Ohioans to openly carry firearms.  “It is very clear that more often than not police take a stand against our 2nd Amendment rights. Police unions testified against the concealed carry law passed here in Ohio, they are openly advocating suspending Constitutional rights in Cleveland and now a former cop is proposing a law to that end. Clearly these cops who are in positions of authority are not only openly violating their oaths, but they are in fact proud of doing so,” said Vaduva.

Cecil Thomas refused to answer questions about this proposal.  His Ohio Senate office can be reached at (614) 466-5980 or on his website.

On January 1st, a new law will come into effect in Texas allowing for licensed handgun owners to openly carry their weapons in the same places they might normally bring a concealed one, including many restaurants and retailers.

But they’ll be out of luck if they want to open carry in H-E-B, the Texas grocery giant that is the largest private company in the state and 15th in the country, with $22 billion in revenues in 2014.

Eagle-eyed H-E-B shoppers might have noticed new signage on the doors of the supermarket chain’s 316 Texas stores in December.

Right underneath a warning that drinking liquor on premises is a crime is the following notice,posted online by a handful of Twitter users in recent days:

Pursuant to Section 30.07, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with an openly carried handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a handgun that is carried openly.

Billionaire-owned H-E-B has issued no public statement on its decision to disallow open carry — one that is entirely legal for a private business, as long as compliant signage is displayed.

H-E-B competitors including Whole Foods and Safeway SWY +% subsidiary Randall’s have already posted notices prohibiting open carry in their Texas stores from the moment the law comes into effect.

So far, Kroger KR +0.00% has not. The country’s largest grocery chain has long said it would “follow state and local laws” on open carry. Ohio-based Kroger has been on the receiving end of a campaign by Michael Bloomberg-backed gun safety group Moms Demand Action for well over a year, including a six-figure ad spend and a rally outside its annual meeting.

H-E-B did not return multiple requests for comment from Forbes.

By Clare O’Connor for Forbes.com

A signature from Gov. Greg Abbott is all that remains before a bill allowing Texans to carry their handguns openly becomes law.

After a week of hand-wringing over a controversial amendment — and what proved to be empty threats of a Democratic filibuster — the measure sailed through both chambers of the Legislature on Friday afternoon. The vote in the House was 102 to 43; in the Senate, 20 to 11.

House Bill 910 from state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, would allow license-holders to carry handguns openly in a hip or shoulder holster, changing current law requiring that such weapons be concealed.

Gun rights activists pushed fiercely for the legislation this session — some even arguing that it did not go far enough because it did not repeal handgun licensing requirements altogether.

The bill encountered opposition from law enforcement officials and public safety groups, who said it would endanger the lives of police officers and the communities they protect.

“Today’s vote to allow the open carry of handguns is not at all surprising — this session has been an alarming show of politicking that caters to a gun lobby agenda rather than listening to the majority of Texans and law enforcement who oppose the open carry of handguns,” Sandy Chasse, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said in a statement. “There is no evidence to show the open carry of handguns makes Texas safer.”

Last week, the bill’s passage was temporarily delayed when the Senate unexpectedly revived a provision that would limit the power of police officers to ask those carrying handguns visibly for a permit.

The so-called “cop stop” amendment had support from some Democrats who said it would help prevent racial profiling, as well as conservatives who said it was necessary to protect the public against unreasonable searches and seizures. But it stirred vocal criticism from the state’s police chiefs, some of whom held an impromptu news conference at the Capitol to urge Abbott to veto the bill if the language stayed in.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, a Houston Democrat who supported the “cop stop” provision but opposed the legislation as a whole, told the chamber shortly before Friday’s vote that he wished law enforcement had used its “collective strength” to oppose the entire bill, rather than aligning at the last minute to fight an amendment.

Before the bill passed the House, state Rep. Harold Dutton, the Houston Democrat who originally crafted the amendment, made a final unsuccessful plea to keep it in.

“I’m disappointed that the amendment didn’t stay on, but it’s still the law, nonetheless,” he said of how police officers can only stop those who are engaged in unlawful conduct. “I expect law enforcement to follow the law, and we’ll be watching to see to make sure they do.”

But lawmakers ultimately voted not to keep the amendment. Phillips said he was convinced police officers would be properly trained in the new law.

“We will be doing a diligent effort to make sure that law enforcement is educated about this very topic,” he said.

Since shortly after he was elected in November, Abbott, a Republican, has said he would sign any open carry bill that reached his desk.

Just minutes after the final vote in the Senate, he tweeted: “Open Carry just passed in both the Texas House & Senate. Next destination: My Pen.”

Published on Texas Tribune by Morgan Smith.

Open Carry activists could only open carry rifles legally

Texas is poised to become the largest state in the U.S. to allow citizens to openly carry handguns, a change long sought by gun-rights activists.

The Texas House of Representatives on Friday voted 96-35 to allow residents with concealed-handgun licenses to openly carry their guns in public in holsters. A similar open-carry measure passed the Texas Senate last month; the two open-carry bills must be squared before being sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has indicated support for the idea.

In contrast to its reputation for being permissive on firearms, Texas is one of six states, including California, New York and Florida, that currently bars citizens from openly carrying handguns. People who want to carry handguns in public on their person must obtain concealed-weapons permits and keep the weapons hidden.

“We are seeing historic progress in Texas”- Terry Holcomb Sr., executive director of Texas Carry, a gun-rights group

Texas currently allows citizens to openly carry long guns in public, however. That has spurred gun-rights groups to carry assault rifles into restaurants and stores and along the sidewalks adjoining the Texas Capitol, to highlight what they see as a senseless legal distinction.

The push by gun enthusiasts, a powerful constituency within the Texas Republican Party, has helped legislation move through the GOP-controlled Legislature this year after several years of stalled efforts.

Gun-rights groups are also calling for legislation to allow some students and university employees to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. The Texas Senate last month approved a campus-carry measure, as it is known. The Texas House is expected to pass a companion measure, and the idea is also supported in principle by Mr. Abbott.

It would make Texas one of only eight states with laws permitting concealed guns on college campuses, and the largest state to do so.

“We are seeing historic progress in Texas,” said Terry Holcomb Sr., executive director of Texas Carry, a gun-rights group. He noted that open-carry legislation had never even made it out of a Texas legislative committee before this year.

If you believe for a second that all those in favor of concealed carry also love the idea of constitutional and open carry, think again.  The “constitutional carry” bill passed the Kansas Senate is now in the State House and is on track of being passed.  Unfortunately some police officers and concealed carry instructors oppose the bill.

Mike Yoder, who is a police officer and also a concealed carry instructor is against the bill and believes that specialized training should be required before anyone can carry a gun in public.  Ironically, Yoder and other instructors who oppose the bill claim that they strongly support the 2nd amendment.

“Every bullet that leaves that gun, just consider there’s an attorney’s name on it,” says Yoder, following with “When you pull that trigger you’re responsible for every round that leaves that barrel.”

Yoder’s concerns are quite common and popular among firearms instructors who are mostly active or retired police officers and have tight control over the gun education market.  Many states require concealed carry instructors to be military or police members, almost creating a monopoly on gun educational services.

The fate of the bill remains to be seen.