The Texas Senate approved a measure Monday which would eliminate a previous requirement that residents needed to obtain a license in order to carry a handgun, Star Tribunereports. The bill, which passed 17-13 in the Senate, will now be sent to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has already stated that he intends on signing the proposal. “I support it, and I believe it should reach my desk, and we should have ‘constitutional carry’ in Texas,” Abbott said at a radio show appearance prior to the lawmakers’ approval.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick previously said the Senate didn’t have enough votes to pass House Bill 1927, or HB 1927. The House and Senate were able to come to a compromise that addressed the concerns of law enforcement officials, such as a reversing course on a provision that would have prevented cops from questioning someone based only on their possession of a firearm.
Others changes include barring residents from carrying a handgun without a license if they were convicted of any specific crimes, such as making a terroristic threat or assault that causes bodily injury, within the last five years. Stricter criminal penalties have also been put in place for felons who are found carrying illegal weapons.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 12 mass shootings in the state of Texas this year alone.
This latest development in Texas comes less than a week after Gov. Abbott signed a bill that prohibits performing an abortion on a fetus if a heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy, and at a time when many people are unaware that they are pregnant in the first place. The law will take effect in September.
