Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
A Texas man found himself in a legal battle with Waller County, Texas, after he challenged a local gun ban that he claimed was unconstitutional.
Waller County sued Terry Holcomb, Sr. after he fought back against a local ban on licensed gun owners bringing firearms into the county government building. On Thursday, the Court of Appeals for the 1st District of Texas ruled in favor of Holcomb, handing a big victory to gun rights activists.
The Texas appeals court ruled Waller County had no business suing Holcomb in the first place because his lodged complaint should have been heard by the Texas attorney general’s office, according to the Associated Press.
While the lawsuit was unusual, county officials said at the time they hoped a court ruling would help clarify Texas gun laws.
It certainly did accomplish that — just probably not in the way the officials anticipated.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Friday that Waller County “should be embarrassed and ashamed of using litigation as a tool to silence someone who merely called on it to stop violating a state law.”
“This is a great day for the First Amendment and the right of citizens to participate in government,” Paxton added.
Holcomb is the executive director of the gun rights group Texas Carry and has filed complaints against dozens of cities and counties over local gun bans.
https://ijr.com/2018/03/1076963-waller-county-sues-terry-holcomb-over-local-gun-ban/