Texas House Committee Approves Bill Allowing Gun Carry Without License

AUSTIN, TX — Texans love their guns and its conservative politicians are eager to accommodate the passion, with recent passage of both "open carry" and "campus carry" allowing open displays of firearms in public and concealed guns allowable on universities.

On Tuesday, more evidence emerged of this love for firearms and their unfettered access, as a Texas House committee approved legislation that would allow for handguns to be carried without a license. The approval was secured along party lines, with five Republican committee members voting for the measure and the two Democrats voting against.

As the Austin American-Statesman noted, the version of House Bill 1911 approved by the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee contained substantive modifications from the iteration drawing expansive public testimony three weeks ago.

Among those changes:

• Those wishing to carry a handgun without a permit would have to meet restrictions in place to obtain a license to carry, generally achievable for those 21 or older, have no felonies on their records and have eligibility to buy a weapon under state and federal laws. The earlier version of the bill would've allowed those 18 or older to carry guns. .

• Under the bill, churches and places of worship would be removed as prohibited places to carry a gun, although lawmakers would allow signs banning guns as many retailers have in the advent of "open carry" of allowing an untold number of businesses to opt out in favor of not allowing guns on their premises.

• Openly carried handguns would still need to be contained in a holster, but HB 1911 omits the requirement that it be a belt or shoulder holster.

The committee didn't take a vote on a separate bill that would allow "permit-less carry" aka "constitutional carry" that gun advocates approve and have called for.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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