Trigger Happy in Texas

Every Christmas I watch A Christmas Story. Ralphie desperately wants a Red Ryder BB rifle; however, his mother constantly denies him, warning, "You’ll shoot your eye out." The Texas legislature has displayed its Ralphie tendencies as the House and Senate passed SB378, which allows for employees to "protect" their workplace and car with a concealed weapon. Using previous bills that create the legal framework called the "castle doctrine," which allows for a person to protect themselves in their home, the Texas legislature extended the right to self-defense to the workplace and vehicles.

The "castle doctrine" is what my dad refers to when he tells me to "shoot at a burglar, but make sure he falls inside the window or drag him back in the house." It allows you to use deadly force within your home when it is in self-defense. Although self-defense is an important issue, the legislation does not provide a clear guideline for defining self-defense. The bill passed 131 to 13 in the House and unanimously in the Senate; however, in Austin, Reps. Dukes and Howard voted against it. At least someone in Texas is saying, "You’ll shoot your eye out."