Texas Senate OKs Bill Allowing Permitless Carry of Handguns
Texas Governor Greg Abbott participates in a news briefing outside the West Wing after an Oval Office announcement with President Trump March 24, 2017 at the White House in Washington, DC. Charter Communications announced that the company is opening a call center in McAllen, Texas, creating 600 jobs. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Texas Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would remove the required permit for people to carry handguns in public.

The Texas Senate version, which passed on a party-line vote, differs slightly from similar legislation already passed by the state's House.

Fox News reported that the House would then have to adopt the Senate bill or settle the difference in their versions. After that process, the bill is expected to make its way to Texas Governor Greg Abbot's desk.

Abbott said that people are already allowed to have constitutional carry for long guns in Texas.

"This just adds handguns, someone has to still go through a background check when they buy a handgun," Abbott added.

The Republican supporters of the bill noted that the measure does not change the requirements for people to buy handguns. They said it only removes the permit requirements to carry guns in public.

Texas Gun Policies

Texas has some of the most non-restrictive gun laws in the country and has more than 1.6 million handgun license holders.

Once the bill becomes law, Texas would then join nearly two dozen states that allow some kind of unregulated carry of a handgun, but it would be the most populous, according to an ABC 7 News report.

Texas proposed bill would allow anyone 21 or older to carry a handgun provided they had no violent crime convictions or other legal prohibitions in their background.

The bill would also not prevent businesses from banning guns on their property. Federal background checks for some gun purchases would also remain in place. The state has no restrictions on private gun sales.

Supporters of the bill say it would allow Texans to defend themselves better in public while eliminating unnecessary hurdles to the Constitutional right to carry a gun.

Sen. José Menendez, a San Antonio Democrat, said that this bill is not a form of justice or liberty.

"It's going to be responsible for creating a path for more gun violence," Menendez noted in a report.

On the other hand, Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner noted that the bill is a restoration of the belief and trust of the citizens, The Guardian reported.

Polling in the states suggests a majority of Texans do not support unlicensed carry of handguns. Around 59 percent of those polled said that they opposed the policy.

Democratic Sen. Beverly Powell echoed safety concerns from some law enforcement groups and license-to-carry instructors opposing the bill.

Powell said that she wants to know if the person is well-trained in using a gun if she sits next to someone with a person who has a holster on their side.

Several mass shooting in Texas has been reported, including two mass shooting in August 2019. A shooting at a high school in May 2018 saw 10 people dead, while another one took place in November 2017, where 27 people were killed.

Other states are also looking to allow carrying handguns without any permit, such as South Carolina and Florida.

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