Texas Matters: The open-carry gun rights rally on the Alamo grounds will include remarks from Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, arguably the state's most vocal proponent for Second Amendment rights. Also on this show: Leticia Van De Putte talks about the veteran issues on this year's ballot, and more about the strength of the Texas economy, which is the focus of a "Time" magazine article.
Gonzales rallying cry gets San Antonio makeover
On Saturday morning hundreds of gun rights supporters are heading to the Alamo. They are gathering to protest the San Antonio Police Department’s enforcement of a disorderly conduct ordinance that has been used to ticket those who openly carry firearms in the city.
The rally, which is billed as "Come and Take It San Antonio!," will be held on the 4.2-acre Alamo complex, which has been under the custodianship of the Texas General Land Office since 2011.
This is the first time that a political rally or protest has been allowed to be held at the actual Alamo grounds. There are innumerable events like this around the area, but these have always been held in Alamo Plaza, which is across from the actual grounds and on city property.
The decision to allow the rally to be held on the Alamo was made by Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who is running for lieutenant governor and will be giving the keynote speech at the rally.
"Folks who may be somewhat taken aback need to understand that the Second Amendment and article I sec. 23 of the Texas Constitution, which provides the right to arms, has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with hunting. It has to do with the use of arms to defend oneself against a criminal element or an oppressive government, that's what it's about."
On whether or not this gathering is a political event:
"It's not my event, I'm a speaker and I'm the number one proponent for Second Amendment rights in Texas so it's only logical. Whether I was running, whether I had just been elected, whether I was in office or out of office, who are you going to ask to speak? You are going to ask the number one Second Amendment guy of Texas. So to say that this is a political event is just false."
Also on this episode of Texas Matters:
This election is about more than water issues
On Monday Texans have the opportunity to begin voting on nine constitutional amendments. Prop. 6 is getting most of the attention -- that is the plan that would take $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund and use it for water development projects -- but supporters of veterans would like to point out that Prop. 1 and Prop 4 are equally important.
State Sen. Leticia Van De Putte, D-San Antonio, authored the legislation that was approved by the 83rd Legislature and is now on the ballot.
"Since it is a property tax exemption, the legislature does not have the authority to just vote that in, it has to go before the voters. So Proposition 1 this year is to have a 100 percent property tax exemption for the spouses of those who are killed in action."
We are Texas, hear us roar!
The Texas economy is again getting praise from the national media. In the latest issue of "Time" magazine Texas is hailed as the future by economist Tyler Cowen, professor of economics at George Mason University. He is also the author of the book "Average is Over."
"America is a country where inequality is rising and that means it's harder for a lot of people to make ends meat. So they want to move to states where there are relatively low housing and rental costs, where there's a pretty good record of job creation, a lot of open space and a fair amount of opportunity, that's the economy of Texas in a nutshell."
