TX State Capitol visit using the CHL line: It's all good.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

We went down to Austin to see the son on Christmas Day and on Monday, 12/26/2011,
we visited the Texas State Capitol. I approached the first uniformed man at the entry to the Capitol.
He had some kind of a patch on his shirt, but did not appear to be a Texas State Trooper.

I told him quietly that I was a CHL, and where was the CHL line. He directed me right next to him where a
female DPS trooper asked for my DL/CHL. She scanned one of them (probably the CHL) through a stripe reader,
returned the DL/CHL, and said I could go right in.

At the time of this entry I had my EDC in my OWB at 4 o'clock, and my BUG revolver was in a large nylon bag
with 2 straps, on my shoulder. She never asked any questions about gun placement, or examined my bag.

We joined the tour in progress and it was great to tour the Capitol, knowing that the State of Texas trusts me
to do the right thing.

We visited the State Senate chamber, which contains 2 gigantic paintings - 1 of the Alamo, 1 of the San Jacinto
battle.

We visited the House of Representatives, which contained a huge Christmas tree. A Texas House of Reps Christmas
tree is to be at least 10 feet in circumference at its base, and be perfectly symetrical in its appearance. Selection
of THE tree begins around July each year, with various people across the state submitting their candidates.
This year's tree comes from Denison, Texas.

I missed the dates of the 1st Texas State Capitol building.
The 2nd Capitol building was built 1852-1853. It was a 90' x 120' limestone building, and burned down in 1881 due to
a faulty heating pipe.

The 3rd and current Capitol building was built circa 1882-1888, somewhere in there. Over the years many changes were
made to the building, which spoiled the original architecture. The restoration to its original form was done 1991-1994.
Since there had been few photos taken between 1888 and 1910, the restorations relied on a large series of 1910 photos
to return the building to its original forms.

The architect of the Texas State Capitol had also done the Michigan Capitol. He had provided the Michigan Capitol
with a large sea of skylights on the roof. This worked great in Michigan with much colder weather, much of it gray.
In the Texas House of Reps the clear glass skylights served to cook the Reps. The Texas Capitol's clear glass skylights
were first covered with frosted glass, then eventually covered by a much more substantial structure to block the sun.

Both the Senate and the house ceilings hold multiple chandeliers (2 IIRC) that spell out "TEXAS" in lights within a star.
Each chandelier weighs 400 pounds. If they ever fell on someone, they'd be DRT.

I found out that Deaf Smith County (in the Panhandle - the county seat is Hereford) was named for Erastus "Deaf" Smith,
who was a Texas Scout during the Texas Revolution. He was the first person to reach the Alamo after the massacre.

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... nty,_Texas

For anyone who can get to Austin, visiting the Capitol is a great experience.

SIA

[RHenriksen]

Amen - I love visiting the capitol. Such an incredible building, love the restoration effort that was performed, and love the freedom to carry there.

[Jumping Frog]

If I took my wife & kids there (non-CHL's), are they able to go through the CHL line with me?

[RHenriksen]

If I took my wife & kids there (non-CHL's), are they able to go through the CHL line with me?

Haven't tried that- my guess would be no.

[RPB]

In the Texas House of Reps the clear glass skylights served to cook the Reps. The Texas Capitol's clear glass skylights
were first covered with frosted glass, then eventually covered by a much more substantial structure to block the sun

Astrodome deja-vu
Northern engineering
And Energy efficient windows? ... "Low-E" glass versus "Southern Low - E" glass ... one designed to keep heat in, the other to keep it out.

Thanks for the report, I'm 65 miles from Austin, I just hate the traffic, but I need to go through there again, been a while since I took the tour.

[ELB]

Sounds good.


Previous experiences: FAQ: Texas State Capitol Building & CHLs

[kjolly]

I had a co-worker visiting from Shang-hi and in trying to find something he was interested in he was excited to go to the State Capitol. He was really impressed that we could watch our goverment in action. This was a rewarding experience in understanding our freedoms.

[68Charger]

Yeah, my girlfriend and I went not too long ago, and I stood at the CHL entrance. The officer who was on watch asked if I had a CHL, so I replied yes. He just took my CHL license and swiped it through some thingy and off I went. It feels great to know I can legally walk in there while carrying.

My GF on the other hand was freaking out.. she thought I was going to get arrested and go to jail. She even walked in front of me to act like I wasn't with her.. She does that anyway regardless where we're at :P.

All in all, great experience.

[ghostrider]

If I took my wife & kids there (non-CHL's), are they able to go through the CHL line with me?

no. They will have to go through the 'non-special' line.

[johnson0317]

The Capitol is cool, for sure. The one thing that really sticks out in my mind, for whatever odd reason, is the hinges on the doors. They were really old and neat looking. Yes, I have no real life of substance.

RJ

[RHenriksen]

The Capitol is cool, for sure. The one thing that really sticks out in my mind, for whatever odd reason, is the hinges on the doors. They were really old and neat looking. Yes, I have no real life of substance.

RJ

You're not alone. The hinges were one of many things I get a kick out of. The your is definitely worthwhile to learn more of the history.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Since the Legislature was not in session, I believe that's why CHL's could carry into
the Senate and House of Reps.

The Texas Legislature is in session during odd-numbered years, for 140 days, from January to May.
Texas lawmakers are paid $7,200 per session, so they can't be career politicians like the DC crowd.

Although the Texas Legislature doesn't pass as many crazy laws as, say Cali, I'm still reminded of the following:

"No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session."
Mark Twain

The City of Austin, when platted, allocated 56 city blocks for the State Capitol's grounds.

I didn't notice the hinges that have been mentioned, but I was impressed by the gold-looking State of Texas
seals on the elevator doors.

SIA

[apostate]

Since the Legislature was not in session, I believe that's why CHL's could carry into
the Senate and House of Reps.

Like others, I had no trouble carrying into both committee hearings for campus carry this session.

It proved how wrong the antis are. Their "logic" was dominated by whining that they wouldn't feel safe if we're allowed to carry in classrooms, and yet they were completely clueless as to the number of us in those committee hearings who were armed.