Gun Debate Turns Wild in First 2 Weeks of Texas LegislatureWhat many thought was a slam-dunk in the Republican-controlled Legislature -- allowing the open carry of handguns in Texas -- turned into a tempest in the opening weeks of the session. And its chances of passing seemed to further diminish when one of the state's most outspoken conservatives flip-flopped on whether it's even a priority issue.
"(Open carry) has been pushed off the rails by the nut jobs," said Jerry Patterson, a former Marine, gun enthusiast and open-carry advocate who wrote the state's concealed handgun license law as a state lawmaker in the early 1990s.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/Gun-Debate-Turns-Wild-in-First-2-Weeks-of-Texas-Legislature-290423431.html