Texas Capitol opens doors to concealed-gun carriers

? With security concerns on the rise, metal detectors finally were installed and turned on at the Texas Capitol Friday. But citizens, lobbyists and other visitors can escape the lines — if they carry a concealed handgun.

In the building where the conceal-and-carry law was written, visitors are not only allowed to pack heat. Under the new security procedures, there’s now practically an incentive to be armed — or at least to hold the license for it.

Officials are creating one line for the masses, one line for lawmakers and their staffs and then a separate procedure for concealed handgun license holders. The general public has to get scanned at the entrances. State officials and gun-toting citizenry do not.