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BLOOMFIELD PRESS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 11, 2000
Contact: Felicity Bower
27 BILLS CHANGED TEXAS GUN LAW IN 1999
"Texas Gun Owner's Guide" Updated

The Texas legislature enacted 27 different bills in 1999 that had an effect on the state's gun laws. The massive job of detecting and describing them, from the more than 1,500 that passed, has now been completed. An updated 4th Edition of the well known Texas Gun Owner's Guide contains all the changes and is being released this week.

A free summary of the update is available on the web at gunlaws.com, and a printed copy is enclosed.

The Texas Gun Owner's Guide is published by Phoenix-based Bloomfield Press, the largest publisher of gun-law books in the country. It is available from firearm dealers, trainers and bookstores statewide. The book is approved for concealed handgun license training by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety.

Co-written by Alan Korwin and Georgene Lockwood, co-author Korwin points out that, "It doesn't make sense to own a gun and not know the rules."

Korwin is available for media interview, and will be in the Dallas area Feb. 25-27.
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440 • Scottsdale, AZ 85254 • gunlaws.com
602-996-4020 * 602-494-0679 Fax • 1-800-707-4020

TEXAS

The Texas legislature enacted 27 different bills in 1999 that effected the state's gun laws. I've finished the massive job of detecting and describing them, from the more than 1,500 bills that passed. An updated 4th Edition of the well known "Texas Gun Owner's Guide" contains all the changes and is being released this week (2/7/00). A free summary of the update is available on the web, click "Position Papers and Updates" at https://www.gunlaws.com. Here's the list of bills:

HB 436 - Trespass on agricultural land
HB 525 - U. S. Forest Service authority
HB 592 - Instructor background checks
HB 635 - Taking weapon from peace officer
HB 668 - Street gangs
HB 690 - Criminal mischief penalties
HB 957 - Conditions for arming deputies
HB 998 - Burglary includes assault
HB 1265 - Carry on Superfund site penalty
HB 1269 - Detention of armed delinquents
HB 1428 - "Restrain" redefined
HB 1933 - CHL mental check and fees
HB 2231 - Rail-car burglary definitions
HB 2825 - Antique, curio, relic and black powder arms
HB 2869 - Probation conditions for kids with guns
HB 3517 - Sanction levels for armed juveniles
SB 24 - Repetitious assault on family
SB 43 - Reporting gunshot wounds
SB 50 - Protective order gun and ammo notification
SB 93 - Gun-free assisted living facilities
SB 131 - Hospital 51 sign exemption
SB 152 - Escape by juveniles
SB 370 - DPS statistics on CHL
SB 404 - Peace officer CHL after retirement
SB 717 - Conditions for government lawsuits against gun companies
SB 1368 - Technical corrections, overhaul of Chapter 411 (CHL law)
SB 1558 - Criminal trespass includes aircraft;
HCR 57 - Children’s Firearm Safety Week.

MEET AUTHOR ALAN KORWIN AT: The Texas State Rifle Association ANNUAL MEETING February 25 - 27, 2000 Omni Richardson Hotel Richardson, Texas For info call TSRA at: 972-889-8772

NEW FEDERAL GUN TAX FOR TEXANS
FBI TO LEVY TAX BY END OF YEAR
29 Other States Affected  $13–$16 Applies to
Retail Gun Sales

Under the general banner of crime reduction, and citing the Brady law for its authority, the FBI plans to tax the retail sale of handguns and long guns, starting Nov. 30, if their new computer systems are ready in time. The proposed tax could generate $1 million per week nationally, based on the bureau's estimates. Detailed information is included in a report just issued by Phoenix-based Bloomfield Press, a book publisher specializing in gun law [Ed: Summary of Findings on request].
Perhaps more significant than a surprising new tax from the Justice Department—without any apparent Congressional approval—is the FBI's announced plans to record complete identifying information on every person who purchases a firearm from a licensed dealer. Any regulation that requires such recording has been prohibited under the McClure-Volkmer Act since 1986. Neither the tax nor the gun-buyer registration scheme appear to be legal, according to Alan Korwin, best-selling author of The Texas Gun Owner's Guide. Korwin has written six books on gun law, and his Texas guide is officially approved by Texas DPS for concealed handgun license training.
The federal registration and tax plan are being rolled out under the guise of the National Instant Check System, required when Part 1 of the Brady law expires this year. Under Brady Part 2, all retail handgun and long gun sales will have to run through the system, which the FBI has based at its Clarksburg, W. Va., data center. They are hiring 500 people to handle the anticipated load.
The FBI intends to waive the tax for any state that sets up an FBI-approved central firearms clearance center, as 20 have already done. In other states, such as Texas, each dealer will have to "enroll" with the FBI to legally make a sale, and pay the tax on every purchase. The Bureau will accept credit cards or will arrange to bill dealers, and those who don't pay (or are real late on the invoice) will be literally out of business. Several authorities have indicated that they expect enough clamor from the taxed dealers to compel their states to comply. When 100 Arizona dealers were told at a government meeting earlier this month, that they would not be taxed, they cheered.

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TEXAS GUN LAWS COMPILED AND EXPLAINED:
Plain-English Guidebook Coincides with Right-to-Carry Law   

The Texas Gun Owner's Guide is rolling out statewide in time for the Sep. 1, 1995 opening day of the new Concealed-Handgun License classes. Major players in the firearms community have been closely involved in the book's development—ranging from law enforcement authorities to dealers, shooting ranges and rights groups. Sales of the 256-page, $14.95 paperback have been brisk in the two months preceding its release. 

All Texas gun laws (not just the penal code) are included word-for-word in the back of the book, and everything is explained in plain-English up front. "Our new book takes the mystery out of Texas gun law," says co-author Alan Korwin. "It doesn't make sense to own a gun and not know the rules." 

The Texas legislature has required all concealed-handgun licensees to read the firearms laws and certify that they understand them, which is no easy task. "The plain-English descriptions help you make sense of the laws," says co-author Georgene Lockwood, "because let's face it, the laws are not written in the same type of English that most people are familiar with." 

In addition to a comprehensive treatment of state gun law (including complete handgun-license details), the book also includes descriptions of federal laws that affect bearing arms, judgmental shooting and the use of deadly force, places where it's legal to go shooting in Texas, safety rules, more than 150 sample test questions, lethal-encounter scenarios, a thorough "prohibited places" list and much more. 
For additional info or to fire up a copy call 1-800-707-4020. 

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Contact: Alan Korwin, Bloomfield Press, 602-996-4020 (Phoenix);
Korwin is a nationally recognized expert on gun law,
available for interview;
Media review copies of The Texas Gun Owner's Guide are available on request;

Coming soon—Supreme Court Gun Cases, Unabridged. 

FACT SHEET   

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW  

KORWIN	LOCKWOOD

  Can you imagine what it took to research The Texas Gun Owner's Guide? Co-authors Alan Korwin and Georgene Lockwood have amassed one of the most thorough understandings of Texas gun law you're likely to find anywhere. Alan and Georgene are professional writers with extensive experience— and they know how to pour on the expertise for an excellent interview. Take advantage of this vast storehouse of knowledge! Feel free to call the authors for feature stories, fact checking or background on stories you're already doing. Or just ask them if full-time free-lance writing is everything it's cracked up to be! You have a great source of information here whenever you're dealing with Texas gun laws.

      The Texas Gun Owner's Guide • Bloomfield Press

SUBJECTS WITH LEGS: 
The Texas Right-to-Carry Law
The Four New "Posted Signs" Laws
Texas Gun-Free School Zones Laws
The Assault Weapons Ban
No-Guns-Allowed Signs
Use of Deadly Force Self Defense Laws
Employers Rights
Second Amendment Issues
What you can do with guns in Texas
What you can't do with guns in Texas