Texas Governor Signs Law Cutting Gun License Fees, Jokes About Shooting Journalists (UPDATED)

AUSTIN, TX — With the stroke of a pen, the Texas governor on Friday made it easier for people to get guns by reducing related fees and waiving them entirely for members of the military.

Senate Bill 16 drastically reduces the licensing fees associated with purchasing a gun, making it easier for residents to secure firearms. Following the bill signing, Gov. Greg Abbott tested out a few guns at an upstairs shooting range, joking that he'd be on the lookout for journalists: "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters," the Texas governor said while studying his bullet-ridden target sheet, as the Texas Tribune reported.

The reference to harming reporters alluded to an incident this week when a Montana House candidate reportedly body-slammed a writer with The Guardian who sought him out to ask questions for his report. On his Twitter account, Abbott posted photos of himself at the firing range with the caption "Here's how I celebrate signing a law that lowers the license to carry fee," directing the images to the National Rifle Association.

Republicans in Texas have long held control of the Legislature and have perennially championed gun rights. Last year, both "open carry" and "campus carry" were signed into law, allowing gun owners to tote their holstered firearms and long rifles out in the open and carry concealed handguns at public universities.

Abbott most prominently champions unfettered gun access, furthering his penchant for firearms abundance by signing Senate Bill 16, which reduces fees for gun licenses to carry guns.

"Texas is known for its strong Second Amendment rights laws, and I’m proud to further strengthen those rights today," Abbott said. "No law abiding Texan should be priced out of the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights. I’d like to thank Senator Robert Nichols and Representative Phil King for their work in expanding liberty in Texas."

He said the legislation decreases the "financial burden" on law-abiding Texans seeking to obtain or renew licensing to carry a handgun and removes those fees entirely for peace officers and members of the military.

SB 16 fee reductions include:

• Cutting the first-time license to carry a handgun fee from $140 to $40.
• Lowering the renewal fee from $70 to $40.
• Waives the fee for peace officers and members of the Texas military forces.

This law goes into effect on Sept. 1.

Abbott is the state's biggest cheerleader in promoting gun abundance in his state. As "open carry" was being debated before gaining passage and taking effect on Jan. 1, 2016, Abbott took to Twitter to spur people to buy more guns, noting that California had just emerged as the state with the most gun ownership requests, leading Texas which had just topped 1 million requests to buy guns.

"I'm EMBARRASSED: Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA. Let's pick up the pace Texans," Abbott told his followers on Twitter.

Amid a $6 billion budget shortfall in the wake of declining oil prices — a deficit that had lawmakers scrambling to emerge from the red — reducing the fees for obtaining guns is expected to cost the state from $12.6 million to $22 million in its 2018-19 budget, according to estimates from various media sources.

But Abbott framed the issue as a Constitutional one predicated on a need for people to defend themselves from attack.

"It's unbelievable [that] Texas is one of the most costly states in the United States of America to get a license to carry," Abbott said Friday, as quoted by the Texas Tribune. "No Texan should be priced out of their way to defend themselves."

With the cuts, Texas now has the distinction of having the lowest gun carry fees in the nation, according to the NRA.

>>> Uppermost image via Shutterstock