HOUSTON, TEXAS –-(Ammoland.com)- Did Texas Gun Sense submit a letter to the Texas legislature with forged signatures to oppose Constitutional Carry?
That is what some of the instructors listed on the letter sent by license to carry (LTC) instructor and Texas Gun Sense board member Raul Camacho are claiming.
The letter which AmmoLand News obtained allegedly showed a group of 54 LTC instructors that opposed the current Texas Constitutional Carry bill that just passed the House and is on the way to the Senate. The letter claimed that the Constitutional Carry (permitless carry) bill would make the state less safe and hurt the instructors financially by removing the requirements that residents take classes to conceal carry a firearm.
Fabricated The Signatures?
Although most instructors listed on the letter did admit to signing it, there is still a good number that claims they didn’t sign the letter or were hoodwinked into signing onto the letter. It could be these instructors are seeing the damaging blowback to their businesses and are going into damage control mode, or it could be that the Texas Gun Sense or Raul Camacho of Safety Measures, LLC fabricated the signatures?
One person listed in the letter is Chris Reitsma of Texas Carry Academy. I spoke to Mr. Reitsma, who was adamant he supports Constitutional Carry and is currently looking into how his name got onto the letter. Looking into Reitsma’s background, it is clear that he does support Constitutional Carry. Reitsma also states he believes in “no compromise” and wants a more substantial Constitutional Carry bill.
We were able to verify that Reitsma has spoken in favor of Constitutional Carry on at least four different occasions. It also seems that Mr. Reitsma worked for Constitutional Carry in other states such as Oklahoma. It would be very odd if Reitsma would suddenly be against Constitutional Carry in Texas after supporting it in the past.
According to Julian Lozano of Brazos Tactical, LLC, he did not sign the letter either. He says all he did was reply to the email was “thank you” with his information. Mr. Lozano states he does not oppose the bill. It is feasible Camacho could have misunderstood the reply.
Michael Gamber of Revolver Mom, Inc. said although he did receive an email from Mr. Camacho, he never responded and never authorized his name to be used for anything. He is not sure why Camacho emailed him to sign the letter. Mr. Gamber assured me that he supports Constitutional Carry and would like to see it pass. After a long conversation with Gamber, we were not able to detect any insincerity.
It appears that Camacho contacted most of the LTC instructors in Texas. The Lone Star State publishes a spreadsheet on the web of every LTC instructor’s contact information. It is feasible that Texas Gun Sense or Camacho got the info from the spreadsheet, but AmmoLand News could not confirm the source used to contact the instructors.
Although many instructors listed on the letter distanced themselves from the effort to defeat Constitutional Carry, a few admitted to opposing the bill and stood by their decision. Clifton Paul of Ultimate Response Cons., LLC, Marc Foster, and Allan Garonzik all said they signed the letter.
AmmoLand reached out to Raul Camacho several times. Mr. Camacho did not comment on the accusations of the LTC instructors above but did ask if we were “for or against it” in our state/s.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
If you don’t truly support shall not be infringed then . You are more dangerous than anti gun tyrants.
When will someone file a lawsuit to define the word and plain definition of the word infringed? You would think that the Supreme Court and politicians would stop trying to read into the 2nd amendment something that is not in it. Folks it’s all about money
There have been several challenges at SCOTUS bring “infringement” into the defense. However, there seems a point in the early to mid-1900s that the fallback position of “there already exists precedence…” seems to have overtaken the SCOTUS and allowed in the 1000 cuts.
Excellent work, John.
Thanks Dean!
“It could be these instructors are seeing the damaging blowback to their businesses and are going into damage control mode.”
^This
Deny, deny, deny, the Pincus walk-back is alive and well in the Lone Star State.
They can run but can not hide.
The communists are at work.
I guess that includes criminal Dan Patrick!
Hum. Some of those sound like the old, “Pincus” response.
Anyone who opposes Constitutional Carry based on their own economic interest is a scumbag who should be ostracized from the firearms community. Same with FFL holders who want more background checks and prohibitions to private sales, because they stand to make a buck. Government licensing is all about creating an uneven playing field.
Based on horror stories I have heard from both current firearms instructors, it is possible their position is based on experience of just how stupid people can be when it comes to firearms. I’d prefer people seek instruction and develop a modicum of competency and judgement before carrying. However I don’t believe we can mandate training without impinging on every body’s rights. Better if we offer and encourage training and safe practices. Individual FFLs and the rest of us remain free to impose whatever conditions and use our judgement on any sale. So long as we keep government out of… Read more »
Someone needs to file a lawsuit for defamation and Libel.
WTF is wrong with these people. Teach proper gun handling and cleaning. You don’t need to just teach CCW classes.
Get a life. You can make money doing anything in this country just ask the rioters and looters. Don’t whine and complain about something that should not even need to be put through the house and senate. Your Second Amendment rights should allow this already in all 50 states.
Progressive opponents to our liberty will stoop to any level of malfeasance to subvert our liberty. This may be one such case. Excellent REPORTING. So sad you would never get a job at NYT, CNN or MSDNC. You are a real journalist.
Arkansas had it’s list of whiners when it came to “constitutional carry” too. The Arkansas State Police and many instructors who were going to loose that extra “money” for their instruction classes. ASP had the money going into a slush fund for retired officers from what I understand.
I’m wondering if Camacho would be on the hook for impersonating another individual.
In this circumstance where it may be affecting the other person or company’s business? Most assuredly!
If he did impersonate then it could be prosecuted as fraud or he could be liable for libel.
Identity theft?
My question is; If a firearms ‘instructor’ is foolish enough to get “hoodwinked into signing onto the letter”, in the first place, just how smart an instructor can they be? In my judgement, stupidity and such naive gullibility is no qualification to be an instructor. Disqualifying, perhaps, qualifying, no.
Sounds like people should stand outside these “instructors” home in protest. Hey it works for the leftists.
I guess they do not see the need or desire for some people to get a Carry Permit so they may travel to States that recognize the Texas Permit and do not have Constitutional Carry as the law. If South Carolina ever passes Constitutional Carry (a Bill is in the Legislature) I would still have a CWP for travel to other States. Except for the ones that don’t honor permits from SC.
These instructors make “XYZ” amount of profit on every student that takes their concealed carry course. Of course, you’re going to find some who oppose an easy meal ticket being removed from their wallets.
Better take a cannon if you go to Portland, Oregone.
MM44M,
Only Fully Semi Auto ones.
Mk-19 Belt Fed Grenade Launcher if it is converted to SA
It would appear the horse is out of their collective barns. I for one will consult that list if anyone asks me about an instructor as I will since I have put it off due to cost but still want an LTC. The state $40 is ridiculous and from what I have heard, some of these guys should pay their students to listen to their BS. Isolated cases I am sure and let me emphasize that.
https://www.frontsight.com/advancedmembership/?fn=Donald&ln=Bitler&mn=5642344P&mt=MBR00022&[email protected]
Thank goodness for this. All we have left now is to make ownership a condition of citizenship.
The Lone Star State should take a look at Maine. Which has had Constitutional Carry since 10/15/2015. And we are listed as the SAFEST state in the nation.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/crime-and-corrections/public-safety#:~:text=Maine%20ranks%20first%20in%20the,States%20for%20public%20safety%20below.
Yeah, I wonder why that is:
What is the racial makeup of Maine?
Table
PopulationWhite alone, percent 94.4%Black or African American alone, percent(a) 1.7%American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a) 0.7%Asian alone, percent(a)
You know, some pretty disturbing conclusions could be made from what you just pointed out. Libtards ain’t gonna like what that seems to prove.
•Pfffft! As is you are going to run into a crisis in Maine?
Chicago
2.71 million (2019)
•
New Hampshire
1.36 million (2019)
•
Maine
1.344 million (2019)
I know, pretty unlikely. I saw some a them foreigners today though. They took one look at me and I could tell they wasn’t gonna make no trouble. 🙂
I see “foreigners” fairly regularly. They mostly drive vehicles with “Texas” tags.
Well, this is complicated. Do I support concealed carry in Texas? Yes I do! Do I worry that White progressive leftists will use this as an opportunity once there is a pseudo controversial self defence act? Yes I do.Will I take advantage of constitutional CC……maybe….. you ll just have to find out…….
A permit to conceal carry is a form of registration and should be avoided. Constitutional carry is actually second amendment carry. Where gun crime is a problem permit concealed carry is only partly successful. We had that problem here in Arizona until the state got smart passed into law constitutional carry. Crime all crime began to go down almost immediately. Here constitutional carry was made law in 2010. Arizona has always had legal open carry few if any restrictions. It also had at one time, and still does, permit concealed carry. Not many Arizonan’s took advantage of it however for the reason mentioned above. When constitutional carry was… Read more »
You dupport “concealed carry”? Or “Constitutional Carry”? Big difference there. I’d like the norm to be for every free man to grab his open carry shoulder holster along with his wallet and car keys every morning. Along with his M4 slung over his shoulder, or on the back seat.
If anybody ever gave this situation any thought at all, the manufacturers could simply supply the “First Time Buyer” / purchasers of their a firearm a certificate to get training by a factory certified instructor on their firearm prior to taking possession of it. After the first time purchase and training, Constitutional Carry is implied.
3D Chess makes my head hurt.
I can see Constitutional Carry end up like it is in Oklahoma where stores and “other” places that would prevent firearms in their establishment i.e. gas stations, stores, certain clubs, etc. But obviously I’m not opposed to CC. I can just see stumbling blocks for us in the process.
Constitutional carry is already the law of the land. The second amendment makes it legal without consent of the states. The second amendment is; “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” Can anything be more forthright and absolute than that? Every word in that amendment has an absolute definite meaning. A militia means a force raised from the civilian individual population to assist the regular Army. A force that supplies it own weapon(s) and ammo. And it should be regulated to assist that regular… Read more »