Fox News Segment Shows How Looser Gun Laws Could Actually Help Criminals

Police Argue That New Texas Open Carry Law Makes It Difficult To Ask People Carrying Weapons To Prove They Have A Permit

Fox News' Casey Stegall reported that officials in Texas are criticizing parts of a new open carry law that makes it illegal for police to ask citizens to see their gun licenses.

On January 1, 2016 Texas Open Carry law went into effect allowing residents to openly carry fire arms in most public places except for public schools and college campuses.

During the January 6 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier, Stegall reported that law enforcement officials “raised some concerns” about the enforcement of the law. Stegall explained that Kevin Lawrence from the Texas Municipal Police Association stated the “murky” writing of the law caused police to be “unable to ask for a license,” preventing police from knowing “who is packing heat legally.” Lawrence also claimed police faced “uncertainty” when it came to “what authorities the officers have.”

CASEY STEGALL (REPORTER): But members of law enforcement have raised some concerns. Not so much about the law itself, but how it's enforced. 

KEVIN LAWRENCE (TEXAS MUNICIPAL POLICE ASSOCIATION): If a citizen calls in, a business calls in and says hey, there's somebody here carrying a firearm that we're concerned about, the question then becomes exactly how much authority does that officer have to approach that individual and investigate whether or not they have a license to carry that gun. 

STEGALL: Kevin Lawrence heads up the largest police union in Texas. He says the wording of the law is murky. And if officers are unable to ask for a license, there's no way of knowing who is packing heat legally. 

LAWRENCE: That's the difficulty is the uncertainty, not knowing for sure what the rules are, what authority the officers have. We need to get that clarified as much as possible. 

This segment is unusual for Fox News which has repeatedly rallied for looser gun laws, falsely claimed that more guns means more safety, and pushed the gun-free zone myth. Fox News has also repeatedly attacked President Obama for proposing gun safety measures.