America is a very wacky place by most Aussies’ standards, and the one thing we absolutely cannot get our heads around are their gun laws.
Amongst a bunch of laws that came into effect at the start of this month are ones that will increase the number of guns in schools significantly.
There is also another new law which states that “the occasional sale of lemonade or other nonalcoholic beverages from a stand on private property or in a public park by an individual younger than 18 years of age” is no longer prohibited.
Which must mean that it was illegal before? Kids these days, always trying to evade taxes and sell unregulated products. Bizarrely, this only covers drinks, so I’m guessing a sausage sizzle is out of the question.
Thankfully, it seems that amongst the new laws, there is one the Texan government have gotten right – they’ve made sending unsolicited dick pics a crime. The new law is pretty clear about what constitutes “sexually explicit visual material” too – it doesn’t have to be naked to be illegal.
But as always, it’s a case of two steps forward and a hundred steps back. Because instead of trying to get guns as far away from schools as possible after more than 22 school shootings this year alone – one of which was in the titular state – the government is basically making is easier for accidents to happen.
House Bill no. 1143 permits licensed gun owners to keep their weapon in their car in a school carpark, and the school isn’t allowed to do anything about it. As long as the car’s locked, and the gun isn’t “in plain sight” it’s legal. Anyone who has had their stuff stolen from their car can attest to the fact that those safety requirements are hardly foolproof.
Meanwhile, House Bill no. 1387 removed the cap for the number of armed guards a school can hire. In theory, that means they could end up with more guns than students, which seems more than a little problematic, no? The previous restriction was one marshal per building or 200 students, which already seems very extra. Especially when there’s not a whole lot of evidence that they do anything except terrify students.
Another legislation loosened in this new batch includes an end to the restriction that forced gun owners in foster homes to store the weapon and ammunition separately. It’s also now legal to open carry in places of worship. Have the Texas lawmakers totally forgotten about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting already?
In short, sending nudes is not cool, but your backyard beverage enterprise is good to go, and apparently, so are guns in school. Go figure.