Texas Republican Plans Push to Eliminate Concealed Carry Permit Requirement

Texas Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R) plans a push in the coming legislative session to eliminate the state’s concealed carry permit requirement.

The Victoria Advocate reports this will be Stickland’s third attempt to ditch the requirement.

The language of Stickland’s bill sets for Constitutional Carry of firearms. It means any person 21-years old or older “who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm” can carry a handgun concealed or openly without going through the process of securing a permit from the state government.

Jason Hoover, owner of Hoover’s Outpost, points out that Stickland’s bill simply brings concealed and open carry into line with firearm laws that already exist in the state. He said, “It is already legal to carry a firearm in your vehicle, loaded, whether it be a long gun or a handgun, so the only difference were talking about is actually carrying a handgun on your person.”

On December 14, 2018, Breitbart News reported that Oklahoma is poised to eliminate their concealed carry permit requirement in the coming legislative session, as is South Dakota. Both states have incoming Republican governors who have voiced support for recognizing the Second Amendment as a carry permit for their state residents.

There are currently 12 states which require no permit to carry a handgun for self-defense: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Vermont.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, 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 directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.