June 11, 2015 5:01 PM

CLEAT: Law enforcement will pay the ultimate price for open carry

Head of law enforcement group says police authority eroded by new gun laws

The executive director of the largest state police association in Texas, Charley Wilkison, made a promise to the chairs of the committees that voted out the open carry bill: He would be on their doorstep with the names of fallen officers if lawmakers failed to protect the ability of police officers to do their jobs.

Wilkison, who heads up Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas, has made no secret of his dislike of the open carry bill that passed this session. Nor was he particularly happy that every amendment CLEAT wanted to add to the bill to protect the officer on the street was shot down.

“The police are not going to be the only people reacting to open carry. There are variables out there we can’t even foresee,” Wilkison said at a law enforcement conference today in Austin. “We were characterized as nervous, conservative, anxious, and we deserved all those characterizations.”

Lawmakers assured Wilkison that open carry was no more than an extension of gun rights for those who have a concealed handgun license. Even if all goes well, there will be more guns out on the street in the hands of people, Wilkison said. He doesn’t consider the defeat of the “no stop” amendment to be a victory for law enforcement.

By Kimberly Reeves