SSAA NSW

The NSW Shooter is published by the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed are not necessarily those of SSAA (NSW) Inc. Attention: Branch Secretaries/Publicity Officers Editorial deadline for the July 2015 issue of the NSW Shooter is Friday 26 June 2015. Editor: Jay Pandya Graphic Designer: Craig Rogers Post all correspondence and contributions to: Newsletter PO Box 1001 ST MARYS NSW 1790 or email nswshooter@nsw.ssaa.org.au Cover: Highlights from SSAA NSW events and competitions including City Vs Country shoot, National Benchrest Championships and 2015 Anzac Commemorations. 10 Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. Legal Matters Texas is on the verge of passing legislation that would allow handgun owners to openly carry firearms. The Los Angeles Times reports that the proposal approved in mid-April by a vote of 101 to 42 would allow those with concealed carry licenses to openly carry handguns in a shoulder or hip holster as of January 2016. It's already legal in Texas to openly carry rifles or shotguns without a licence. The Lone Star State barred open carrying of handguns 125 years ago, after the Civil War, as a way to disarm Confederate sympathisers. Now home to more than 825,000 gun owners licensed to carry concealed handguns, Texas remains one of six states without open-carry handgun laws. "It's not everything we were asking for, but you go above and beyond and accept what you can get as progress," said C.J. Grisham, president and founder of Open Carry Texas, a nearly 38,000-member group that helped draft one of several open-carry proposals last year. Grisham told the Los Angeles Times the law that's expected to pass was "a step in the right direction." The legislation has already been approved by the state's Republican-dominated Senate. It will now go to a conference committee to iron out minor differences between the bills before being sent to new Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. After taking office in January, Abbott vowed in his state of the state address to "expand liberty in Texas by signing a law that makes Texas the 45th state to allow open-carry." Thirty states allow open carrying of a handgun without a licence or permit, although in some cases the gun must be unloaded. Texas, California, Florida, Illinois, New York, South Carolina and the District of Columbia prohibit the open carrying of handguns in public areas. Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey prohibit the open carrying of a long gun, but not a handgun. Stephen Mainstone The information contained in this article is general in nature and should not be considered legal advice. Should you require legal advice relevant to a particular matter concerning you, it is always advisable to contact a lawyer. Mainstone Lawyers is able to provide legal advice regarding all firearms and other Police related matters. Contact our office on (02) 9531 0322, email at info@mainstonelawyers.com.au or on our website www.mainstonelawyers.com.au ONLY IN AMERICA This month I thought I'd take a light-hearted look at what's happening in other parts of the world. This article caught my eye when reading the NSW Law Society Journal, May 2015 edition. I thought readers would find this both informative and amusing, taking into account the strict firearm laws in NSW. Follow us on Twitter and share your thoughts: https://twitter.com/ssaansw

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