Railroad Commission Chairman Smitherman Congratulates RRC Employees For Completing Yesterday’s Concealed Handgun License Training in Houston

AUSTIN — Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman congratulated the employees of Railroad Commission who successfully completed concealed handgun license training yesterday, Sept. 29, in Houston.

“I am proud to say employees in our agency have not only exercised their Constitutional Second Amendment rights while in this class, but have also taken steps to keep themselves, their families and our community safe by learning about safe handling of a firearm and situational awareness skills accrued in this training,” Smitherman said.

Chairman Smitherman spearheaded the initiative in January 2013 to help provide Railroad Commission employees with access to concealed handgun licensing classes and to receive proper training to legally carry a concealed handgun.  The classes also provided a forum for Railroad Commission employees to learn more about current Texas gun laws.

“This is the second time the Commission has provided this CHL course to employees,” Chairman Smitherman said.  “We hope other state agencies will also use this successful and well-attended course as a model for their employees.”

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Chairman Barry Smitherman was appointed to the Railroad Commission of Texas in July 2011, and was elected Chairman in February 2012. In November 2012, Chairman Smitherman won a statewide election to the Commission with 74 percent of the vote, receiving more than 4.5 million votes. Chairman Smitherman currently serves as Texas’ representative on both the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and the Southern States Energy Board, and as Chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ Gas Committee. He is on the Visiting Committee of the Bureau of Economic Geology with the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Texas School of Law Center for Global Energy, International Arbitration, and Environmental Law, and the Eanes Education Foundation Advisory Board.