The Senate followed the Texas House’s lead and passed legislation to abolish the state’s concealed permit requirement this week, setting the stage for Texas to become the 21st constitutional carry state.
On April 16, 2021, Breitbart News reported the Texas House passed House Bill 1927 by a vote of 84 to 56. HB 1927 does away with the requirement that law-abiding citizens get a permit from the government before exercising their right to bear arms.
On April 28, 2021, Breitbart News pointed out Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) saying he supported constitutional carry and would sign legislation ending the permit requirement, should it reach his desk.
The Hill noted the Texas Senate passed legislation late Wednesday to end the permit requirement. The Senate bill contains some changes that were not in the House version, so the legislation will return to the House for approval.
Texas state Sen. Charles Schwertner (R) commented: “HB 1927 would recognize the United States Constitution as our permit to carry and allow all law-abiding adults, aged 21 years or older, to carry a handgun for the protection of themselves or their families, in public places, in a holster, without the requirement of a state-issued license.”
Twenty states have already adopted a constitutional carry framework for the carrying of firearms for self-defense. Those states are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming. (NOTE: Tennessee’s constitutional carry law goes into effect July 1, 2021.)
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.