Open Carry Prep

City of Dallas releases rules and regulations for open carry laws

open carry law, gun, public, December 2012

Dallas is preparing for more of this, come January 1, 2016.

In anticipation of new laws in Texas regarding the display of handguns, the City of Dallas has released a video and website outlining rules and regulations.

Starting January 1, 2016, Texans will be able to legally carry their handguns openly anywhere they could carry concealed, in accordance with House Bill 910. Individuals who obtain a license to carry (LTC) or have a valid concealed handgun license (CHL) will be able to carry a weapon in plain view, when properly secured in a belt or shoulder holster.

The City of Dallas has trained 311 and 911 call-takers on the new laws and regulations to ensure they are able to answer concerned citizens' questions. Dallas Police Department has trained police officers on the new laws so that they are aware of what is legal and what is a violation under the new open carry law.

Citizens are urged to call 911 only when encountering a person who is in clear violation of House Bill 910. Violations can include the removal of the gun from a secured holster, when a gun holder seems intoxicated, and when the gun holder is committing a crime or acting in a reckless or suspicious manner.

The new law doesn't mean LTC holders can openly carry anywhere. Holders are prohibited from carrying in certain locations such as worship centers, amusement parks, and governmental meetings subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act.

Handguns will not be allowed at high school, collegiate, or professional sporting events or interscholastic events at the Dallas Convention Center and the Cotton Bowl.

For more information on open carry, check the city's special open carry website, which features a video and FAQs.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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