U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Constitutional Carry, in the form of HB1927, is coming close to passage in the Texas legislature.
Constitutional Carry has been pushed for several years in Texas, only to be held back by a combination of Democrats and a few Republicans. 2021 is different. One of the big differences is the sheer number of states which have restored the right to carry a handgun in most public places without special permission from the government. Earlier in 2021, four states restored Constitutional Carry, joining 16 others already in the Constitutional Carry club.
States in the East and West, North and South, Atlantic and Pacific, with large rural areas and large metropolitan areas had all restored Constitutional Carry without any statistically meaningful problems.
The Republican Party in Texas, with Allen West in charge, enthusiastically embraced Constitutional Carry in 2021, along with Dade Phelan, Speaker of the House. With considerable pressure from the conservative base, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Governor Greg Abbott both got on board.
HB 1927 passed the House with a large margin on April 15. Then, with considerable help by Lt. Governor Patrick, and several amendments, it passed the Senate with the minimum number of votes to overcome a filibuster. It took all 18 Republicans on the Senate to do so.
The amendments were a problem. Democrats said they violated the requirement for a law to be on one subject. The House sent the bill to the conference committee.
On 21 May, 2021, the Chairman of the Conference Committee, and sponsor of the HB 1927, Matt Schaefer, announced they have reached an agreement. From Representative Matt Schaefer:
The House and Senate conferees have reached an agreement on House Bill 1927, a critical benchmark before this bill reaches Gov. Abbott’s desk. By working together, the House and Senate will send Gov. Abbott the strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history, and protect the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self-defense and the defense of their families. Speaker Dade Phelan has been rock-solid every step of the way as House Bill 1927 has progressed, and I am grateful for his leadership and the bipartisan coalition who supported House Bill 1927.
The agreed-upon bill is expected to be presented to both the Senate and House on May 24th or 25th. The Texas legislature adjourns on Midnight, May 31. There is enough time to pass the bill, but not much extra.
Governor Abbot has said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
Constitutional Carry is a reasonable approximation of the state of firearms law when the Second Amendment was ratified, in 1791. At that time, no permit was required to carry weapons, concealed or openly, by the federal government or any state.
Click the link to read the whole article: TX Committee Agreement on Constitutional Carry
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