According to reports, the state of Texas is now joining five other states by allowing handguns to be carried without a permit.
Texas Senate approved HB 1927 on Wednesday night, which will allow residents to carry handguns in public without a permit. “Once the Senate passes it out, the House and Senate will convene and work out any differences and get it to my desk,” said Gov. Greg Abbott. “And I’ll be signing. I support it and I believe it should reach my desk and we should have ‘constitutional carry’ in Texas. This is something that 20 other states have adopted and it’s time for Texas to adopt it, too,”
The state already allows permitless carry of rifles and the new bill will expand to handguns for adults 21 and older without any prior violent offenses on their records. However, opponents of the bill say that it will be more difficult to determine who has a violent offense on their record because private handgun sales don't require a background check in Texas.
“HB 1927 would merely make it easier to carry a firearm legally in public, including by persons who should not,” State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) said in a statement. “The licensing process allows us to ask critical questions before allowing the public carriage of a lethal weapon based on what can only be described as the mildest inconvenience.”
Source: cnn.com
