I Was Wrong!

On Friday, I posted a Texas Firearm Legislation Update. In my commentary I mentioned that Representative Vaught was attempting to hold HB 284 (The Castle Doctrine Law) up in committee. I stated:

It now appears that between the rally and the fax/phone campaign, the freshman Democrat who is Vice-Chairman of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee is trying to hold up the bill.

In the comments to that post, Representative Aaron Peña (the Chairman of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee) assured us that he expected Representative Vaught to vote with the majority on the Castle Doctrine Bill.

This morning Representative Vaught responded to this issue via email. Here is what he said:

JR, I have not received the e-mail you mentioned in your blog yet because I am in Dallas right now. However, in response to the general inquiry, the information you posted is not correct. I intend to vote for the Castle Doctrine bill. That has been my intention before coming to Austin, and has remained the case since I took office. I have listened to all sides, including the State district attorneys' groups (who did have some concerns about the bill), and I think we have a fair bill that will likely pass out of committee.

As an Iraq war veteran (OIF 1) and having grown up on a ranch near Fort Worth, I am a strong 2nd Amendment and self defense supporter. You will be hard pressed to find anyone in either political party who is stronger 2nd Amendment supporter than me. So, I am really puzzled why anyone would tell you I was against the bill. I would appreciate you sharing with me who gave you that information as it is a pure fabrication which should be addressed. Thank you, and please take some time to visit with me in Austin if you come down on Tuesday.

Allen Vaught

It seems that I was given faulty information about Representative Vaught and his actions in the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee concerning the Castle Doctrine Bill. My statement accusing Representative Vaught of trying to hold up the bill was incorrect, and I was wrong to make such a statement without attempting to do a better job of vetting my source. I am very glad to have this opportunity to set the record straight. I appreciate the fact that Representatives Peña and Vaught took the time to correspond with us and settle this matter.

The Castle Doctrine Bill is a very important piece of legislation. House Bill 284 defines the term "unlawful force" as it pertains to a goblin acting on a citizen, states that there is no requirement to retreat from a goblin who is demonstrating unlawful force, and helps to protect the citizen from civil suits.

It is a beautiful day, so V and I are off to the range!