Protecting the Second Amendment Rights of Foster Parents

When a couple decides to become foster parents and take in some of our state’s most troubled kids, they don’t give up their right to free speech. Nor do they give up their right to worship. So why is it that some State bureaucrats want them to give up their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms?

Sound far-fetched? That’s exactly what some ill-advised bureaucrats have tried to do in one recent case in Texas. A foster parent – who was a model of compassion – was told that he either had to get his firearms out of the house or get kicked out of the foster system.

In a time when the state’s foster care network is struggling to find enough good homes, bureaucrats were pursuing their anti-gun agenda to the detriment of children.

“Texas should be in the practice of embracing and encouraging those families who open their homes to foster children,” said Representative Dan Flynn (R-Van), saying that responsible, law-abiding gun owners should not be discriminated against when it comes to serving as foster parents.

In response to this action, Flynn, along with Senator Bob Deuell (R-Dallas) filed legislation to stop this unfair discrimination. SB 322, which passed this week, does exactly that.

“Senate Bill 322 reversed that rule and prevents the Department from unfairly closing the doors of those responsible gun owners who take the most giving path in life – that of a foster family,” Flynn said. “This bill preserves the right of law-abiding gun owners in Texas to be loving foster parents to children in need.”

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