EoT: Dope, Dogs and Guns
Eyes on Texas, a roundup of news, columns and features about the state, from media around the world.
Grandma knows best – sit up straight, always write a thank-you note, and legalize marijuana.
In this case, “Grandma” happens to be Ann Lee from Houston, who has joined the fight to legalize pot in Texas, according to the McClatchy Washington Bureau. Lee is executive director of Republicans Against Marijuana Prohibition and went to the state Capitol on a citizens’ lobby day to advocate for several bills to legalize marijuana in Texas. Next, she will visit Washington to continue her work at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Lee, who once opposed marijuana legalization, has now become a strong ally to pro-marijuana advocates as a Republican with a “grandmotherly image,” the McClatchy story said.
“You know you’re not going to argue with Grandma – because Grandma has a good argument and she knows what she’s talking about,” said Jax Finkel, deputy director of the Texas chapter for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
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Have concealed-carry permit, will travel – even in other states where you don’t qualify for a license.
That’s what U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas is proposing with a bill titled the Constitutional Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015. It would “treat state-issued concealed-carry permits like drivers licenses,” according to a press release. Licensed concealed handgun carriers could keep their guns on them in other states, according to Business Insider.
“This is perfectly reasonable, except for the part about gun permits being anything whatsoever like drivers’ licenses,” Gail Collins wrote in a New York Times op-ed.
While many states currently honor other states’ concealed carry laws when the laws are similar, Cornyn’s bill would allow people to carry guns in states where they wouldn’t be allowed to possess a gun in the first place.
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Dogs are a man’s best friend, especially when those dogs are worth more than $50,000 a piece: Daphne Hereford from Houston, Texas has sought an injunction to put a muzzle on individuals breeding and making money from descendants of Rin Tin Tin, the popular German Shepherd star of a 1950s television series.
The dog’s original owner gave Hereford’s grandmother a Rin Tin Tin puppy in 1957 to continue breeding the dogs to “carry on the bloodline of Rin Tin Tin for future generations,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. Hereford maintains that she owns the bloodline, and began Rin Tin Tin Inc.
When Hereford’s health took a turn for the worse, she allowed others to breed the dogs under her direction. Some of those breeders included former trainers for Lassie, another famous dog star.
Hereford is suing the breeders for breach of contract after they took possession of several descendant dogs and used them for commercial purposes. She wants money and an injunction to stop the breeders from from violating the Rin Tin Tin trademark.
By Hannah Jane DeCiutiis
Follow the reporter on Twitter: @hannahjaned