Texas citizens who are licensed to carry a fireman are taking fire in their home state, but the state government is refusing to let them go down in flames.

In a move sure to infuriate gun control advocates, the Office of the Texas Attorney General has begun enacting measures to investigate and potentially penalize any local government entity found to be improperly or illegally posting signs that bar licensed concealed carry citizens from carrying handguns on their premises.

The measures are part of Senate Bill 273 that passed the Texas Legislature last year in response to concerns that Texans’ Second Amendment rights were being violated by the misuse of what are called 30.06 signs.

The 30.06 signs are described in the Texas Penal Code, Section 30.06, and allow private business owners or government entities to warn Texas Handgun License holders that they are prohibited from carrying a weapon while on their premises. The law specifically delineates how and where local governments can limit weapon carrying.

The new bill provides a pathway for citizens to file complaints against violators and allows the OAG to penalize local governments found to be in violation. The OAG website directs citizens to first file a complaint with the government entity in question. If after three days there is no resolution, they can contact the OAG office at 1-844-584-3006 or complete an online form.

After being contacted by the OAG, the government entity can respond and offer evidence of how it is not violating the law. If found to be in violation, it is issued a civil penalty and fined. Each day it remains in violation, it can receive additional penalties.

For the first violation, entities are fined between $1,000 and $1,500. Each violation following the first incur fines between $10,000 and $10,500.

The non-profit grassroots organization Texas Carry has worked closely with the OAG to provide this safeguard to gun owners.

“We still have a ways to go but we will continue to work hard and fight for Texas citizens right to lawfully carry,” Texas Carry’s founder Terry Holcomb Sr. said. “We will also continue working to hold local governments accountable for following the law.”

Thus far, complaints have been filed against the Brazos County Courthouse, McLennan County Courthouse, Dallas Zoo, Austin City Hall, and Mineola Nature Preserve, among others. The Dallas Zoo, Austin City Hall, and Mineola Nature Preserve have removed their improper or illegally displayed signs and the cases resolved.

Although one would expect Texas to be the last state to battle an issue like this, this provision is a welcome reprieve in an era where Second Amendment rights are violated daily.

The Texas OAG deserves uproarious applause for giving its citizens the right and freedom to organize around this issue to police local governments and keep them accountable.