FortBendNow.com

The Texas State Rifle Association has awarded State Sen. Glenn Hegar its highest legislative honor, naming him “Texas Legislator of the Year” for 2009.  

Hegar was named the association’s Doc Brown Award winner for his support of gun rights during the 81st Texas Legislature, which ended in June.

HEGAR

Alice Tripp, TSRA’s legislative director, called Hegar “a friend and an ally” to Texas gun owners.  

“Sen. Hegar has long been recognized by law-abiding Texas gun owners as a friend and ally, but his actions during the 81st Texas Legislature clearly affirm his place as one of the state’s foremost champions of second amendment rights,” Tripp said.

During the last legislative session, Hegar authored Senate Bill 730 which would have stopped employers from adopting policies that would prevent employees from storing legally-owned firearms in their personal locked vehicle in the parking lot of their workplace.  

Hegar said the bill was in response to a number of instances across the state where employees had been denied the right to protect themselves while traveling to and from work because their employers had adopted overly-restrictive policies.  

The bill passed the Texas Senate but was prevented from being considered in the Texas House by delay tactics used by some legislators in the final days of the session to prevent consideration of voter ID legislation.

Hegar said that he will continue to fight for passage of Senate Bill 730 in the next legislative session. 

“Millions of Texans spend hours each week in their cars and trucks as they commute to and from work.  These commutes may be comfortable and safe for many, but others are not so lucky, as their daily drives take them through dangerous neighborhoods,” Hegar said. “Unfortunately, some Texans are forced to make the choice between adhering to their employer’s policy prohibiting storage of their legally-owned firearm in their locked vehicle on company property – non-adherence to which is oftentimes grounds for termination – and protecting themselves by having their legal firearm available to them as they make their daily commute.”  

He also pointed out that legislation similar to Senate Bill 730 had already been passed into law in the neighboring states of Louisiana and Oklahoma, as well as Mississippi, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kentucky, Alaska, Florida and Georgia.

“Responsible and law-abiding gun owners should not be forced to choose between personal protection and protecting their jobs,” Hegar said. “Senate Bill 730 would have ensured that no hard-working Texan would have been forced to make that difficult and unfair choice. I look forward to working with the Texas State Rifle Association, the National Rifle Association, and thousands of freedom loving Texans to pass this and other important legislation that will protect our second amendment rights as well as the public safety.”

Hegar also said he was proud to be recognized by the TSRA.

“While the second amendment states clearly that the right to keep and bear arms ’shall not be infringed,’ we all know that there are those that wish to erode this constitutional safeguard.  The Texas State Rifle Association works tirelessly to protect the right to keep and bear arms that our founding fathers recognized as vital to a free nation and people, and that is why I consider this award such a great honor,” he said.

Trip said Hegar had been “a consistent friend to Texas gun owners.”

“From his first day in the Texas House of Representatives to his efforts today in the Texas Senate and as the Chairman of the Texas Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus, Sen. Hegar has worked tirelessly to defend and strengthen the second amendment rights of Texans,” Tripp said.

Hegar will be formally presented with the “Doc Brown Legislator of the Year Award” at TSRA’s annual member’s meeting in Mesquite next February.

The Texas State Rifle Association is the official state affiliate of the National Rifle Association and has more than 39,000 members.

Hegar’s district includes much of the western portion of Fort Bend County.