Texas Lobbyists Get Gun Permits to Avoid Lines

Probably one or two Texas jokes applies to this one: Most of the state's lobbyists are signing up for permits to carry concealed weapons, reports the Houston Chronicle. They're not angry or afraid—they're just tired of waiting in long lines at newly installed metal detectors for visitors to the Capitol. By flashing their permit, they can walk on by.

“Not that I have anything against schoolchildren, but when you need to be at the Capitol, you need to be at the Capitol," said one veteran lobbyist. "You don't need to be standing in the line. It's hard enough to get people to talk to you, and they're not going to talk to you if you are standing in line with a bunch of kids." (More Texas stories.)