The Killeen City Council revised its agenda for Tuesday’s meeting late Friday to include an item banning guns from the council chambers, but there is an ironic explanation for its late inclusion.
Councilman Jose Segarra said this controversial agenda item was brought forth because of former Councilman Jonathan Okray’s protest with guns on the issue, which was not supposed to be discussed by the City Council, he said Monday.
“We weren’t even discussing that until somebody — a former council member — came before the council advocating that he was for it … that he was for leaving it the way it was, having guns there,” Segarra said. “And it seems to have the reverse effect of what he was trying to do.”
Okray had come into council meetings twice in a row with weapons, once in late November with a shotgun and once last week with an assault rifle.
Police said at the time that the assault rifle had no magazine and a gun lock, making it basically inoperable. Nevertheless, this move ironically forced the issue to a head after Okray was arrested last week for allegedly berating 911 operators.
“After what happened to him personally it’s something that triggered us having that discussion,” Segarra said.
Segarra said he was surprised that he hadn’t gotten any calls about the issue, but said he was looking forward to the discussion on Tuesday.
“Since it was just put on the agenda on Friday, I haven’t had discussion with anybody about it,” he said.
Harker Heights bans the carrying of weapons into the council chambers when meetings are in session, but it allows the carrying of firearms into City Hall at other times.
The City of Waco, a municipality of similar size to Killeen, also prohibits the carrying of firearms into council meetings.
There are no such restrictions in Copperas Cove or Temple.
Mayor Debbie Nash-King said Monday she only received one email from a resident about the issue.
“We won’t find out till tomorrow how our council members feel about it because Mr. (Councilman Ramon) Alvarez’s item was not so much the signage but stricter guidelines for behavior and decorum in the chamber,” Nash-King said.
On Friday, Nash-King said Alvarez was one of the council members who suggested putting up signs banning guns in the Council Chambers, but she said she misspoke.
“I’m going to put that on the agenda in the future,” Nash-King said on the stricter guidelines for behavior at council meetings.
Council members Michael Boyd and Jessica Gonzalez are still intent on putting the signage on guns up, according to the mayor.
Texas law allows for exceptions to the right to carry weapons, including in schools, courts, hospitals and secure areas of an airport, among others.
Private businesses may also ban firearms on the premises, but must display their policies in writing.
Also, Article 46.03 of the Texas penal code states that carrying of firearms may be prohibited “in the room or rooms where a meeting of a governmental entity is held, if the meeting is an open meeting subject to Chapter 551, Government Code, and if the entity provided notice as required by that chapter.”
There are expected to be protests about the potential change in policy, possibly with open carrying of guns, at Tuesday’s meeting.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. at Killeen City Hall, 101 N. College St.
