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It wan’t a smooth process and — no matter what he says publicly — Lt. Governor Dan Patrick had to be brought along kicking and screaming. But after the reconstituted version of HB 1927 passed in the house last night 82-62, the Senate just passed it this evening by a margin of 17-13.

The bill now goes to Governor Greg Abbott who has said for weeks that he’ll sign it into law. We understand the Governor’s office is looking for an appropriate location here in the Live Music Capitol of the World to affix his signature.

So with that, Texas will be come the 21st, and by far the largest state in the nation to enact permitless carry. As in virtually every other state where it’s law, constitutional carry passed over the loud objections of an assortment of chiefs of police, a minority of concealed carry permit trainers, the media, and the usual suspects from the civilian disarmament industrial complex.

Will it result in fender-bender firefights and shopping line shootouts as the bill’s hysterical opponents predictably predicted? It hasn’t in any of the other 20 states with constitutional carry and there’s no reason to think it will in the Lone Star State either.

Progress marches on.

 

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77 COMMENTS

  1. Go Texas!!!

    Austin isn’t Texas anymore. Rumor is that Alex Jones is planning to relocate Infowars to Florida from Austin. Maybe Gov. Abbott can do something about moving Austin back into Texas.

    Yup. Spent almost a year commuting to Austin every week from my home in PA.

    • Texas becoming the next CC State (I believe Louisiana is about to, as well) is like the fat kid finally climbing onto the playground seesaw that already has some kids on it but hasn’t moved yet. Only a few more States to go, and then literally half the Union will be CC, and as the momentum continues it will be increasingly difficult for Leftist strongholds (like my home state of CA) to argue against it.

      While President BidenHarris attempts to convince everyone that guns are bad, bad, bad and need to be controlled, the States are increasingly going in the opposite direction.

      Love it.

      • I read today that Mi. representative is considering a floating a bill, I don’t think that gov would sign it. Good news (not perfect) for Texas, Louisiana might be next. I hope Florida gets jealous…gunshine state and all that.

        • “I read today that Mi. representative is considering a floating a bill, I don’t think that gov would sign it.”

          Cruella, I mean Gretchen Whitmer, won’t sign it? No surprise…

    • It appears Gov. Abbott has up to June 20th to veto the bill or it becomes law. If it had been sent to him sooner he would have 10 days and it would have become law without a signature.

      I know the article says he is for it but regular session ends May 31st so why the wait to sign it.

      As Yogi Berra said ” it is not over until it is over”.

      • Blue Line Gang can illegally detain and disarm you while “questioning” you for daring to carry a handgun while not wearing a government costume.

        “Constitutional carry”, they say.

      • No one has yet told us the fate of the 3 anti rights amendments added by the Senate. The fact that they don’t say leads me to believe the amendments might still be in there. Do we have the text of this bill?

        • I inquired about a week ago via Texas Gun Rights and after the second time asking I was told they had not really moved.

          It would be like the leftists running the state to surprise us with such nightmares at the very end.

    • It’s full of poison pills. Folks under 21 weren’t covered including veterans. It’s a total ducking mess which is probably why Abbott said he’d sign it. Nowhere does it state Texans no longer need permits to wear weapons. It’s a confusing mess.

        • Best use a baby to rewrite the legislation then. Until such time I’ll keep my permit and stay out of trouble.

        • Exactly. I remember signing a petition to make IA constitutional carry at the 2007 straw poll thinking it was pretty far fetched. IA was ‘may issue’ at the time. 4 years later it became ‘shall issue’ and come July it’s officially constitutional carry. Clean up any crap later, take what you can get now.

      • Other than the under 21 age limit please enlighten we readers as to why this Texas CC carry issue has gotten your manties in such a bunch!? I’m sure that I’m not the only person who fails to understand your displeasure.

        • WHAAAAAT … ??? You failed to read all those words of wit that preceded you? And why do you think so lowly of others and accuse them of not comprehending elementary level communications?

          Read it again.

        • “I’m sure that I’m not the only person who fails to understand your displeasure.”

          It’s not ‘perfect’ enough for him.

          He’s apparently ignorant of a political tactic the Leftists have been successfully using against us for quite some time now, ‘Nudge’.

          Before 1987 or so, the vast majority of America was ‘may issue’.

          “May I pretty please have permission to carry a gun, government man?” Now, 45+ states in America is shall issue, where you don’t need to beg to get a permit.

          And that’s just not good enough for him. Russian saying – “The best is the enemy of the good enough.”

        • It’s not Constitutional Carry, it’s full of infringements. All it can be called is Permitless Carry with exceptions. It read to me like a cluster fu#k. Better than what we had, but needs cleaning up a lot. Abbot has his permission slip so he doesn’t support it. The permission slips can be rescinded by the next Govenor.

      • “Nowhere does it state Texans no longer need permits to wear weapons.”
        It does:
        From H. B. No. 1238:
        https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB01238I.pdf

        “SECTION 5. Chapter 46, Penal Code, is amended by adding Section 46.032. CARRYING A HANDGUN. As otherwise provided by this chapter or other law, a person who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm under section 46.04 of this code, 18 U.S.C Section 922, or other law:
        (1) Is not prohibited from carrying a concealed handgun or a partially oy wholly visible handgun in a holster; and
        (2) May not be required to obtain or hold a license for that purpose.”

        • And it still doesn’t. And it’s still a total damn mess.

          Is not prohibited …

          May not ….

          WELL … WTF … ??? Applicable in a few areas? REALLY?

          And why are you citing 1238?

    • “This will have National impact.”

      Anything that puts the wind at our backs for 2A freedom is something worth celebrating…

      • Well then pucker up and blow extra hard like you so often do on here. I’m sure all that hot air you have will help convince people you’re an authority on gun laws.

    • I sincerely hope you don’t mean this will have a positive national impact. Read the bill and picture that language being being used for a national impact. Absolute nightmare.

    • “Please move Texas here…”

      What?

      Texan Hank Johnson will pitch a fit with claims that your state will ‘tip over’ into the ocean. You really want that to happen?

      Texas is known for big things, and Hank Johnson is proof stupid comes in ‘Supersize’ amounts… 😉

    • “There is only one expected outcome: he vetoes it.”

      Sounds like you should just gather up every gun and round of ammo you have, and turn them into the police.

      After all, “There is only one expected outcome: They will confiscate them…”

  9. This is the most pathetic confusing legislation as the final product I have ever seen. It’s an absolute mess that could have just as easily been written by leftists and liberals. I have no confidence whatsoever in this waste of legislative time and I will continue to maintain another state’s permit so I will have less chance of getting in trouble. Texas should have known better that to have gone so cheap when using such lobbyists. I hope most folks keep their permits and ignore this stupid bullshit.

    • GRA,

      I read the Texas Gun Owners summary link which Dan Zimmerman (person who operates this website) provided below. I did not find that summary to be difficult to understand.

      Is this legislation fantastic? No. Is it a nice step in the right direction? Yes.

      As the saying goes, “Never let perfect be the enemy of good.”

      And as others have said, petition the Texas legislature to revisit this in a couple years and provide incremental improvements.

      • Sounds like advice from CA or MA. I mean … you sound like a John Kasich or Mitt Romney straight with your “baby steps”.

        DAMN … I SHOULD FEEL BLESSED.

        There is nothing positive about the mess they just approved. This is the reason Abbott will sign it.

        If after 150 years Texas cannot finally get off the plantation and graduate from baby steps then it’s actually more of a failure then I’m complaining about. NO … restrictions and bullshit simply changed isn’t a substitute for it being eliminated after 150 years.

        • I agree with uncommon and many of the other commenters here. It’s not perfect legislation, but considering TX was at the forefront of gun control beginning 150 years ago during the Reconstruction Era, this is monumental. Could it be better? Absolutely. Should efforts continue to improve it over time? Absolutely. But I myself am from CA, and we’d love to have this kind of pendulum swing in a pro-2A direction.

          GRA, to summarize this in “Texan speak”, this is a major play that has resulted in the football moving across the entire field and landing at the 10-yard line. Excellent gains, but the fight isn’t quite over yet. Texans are undoubtedly huddling to discuss the next play to get that ball to the touchdown. Patience, friend.

        • Sometimes little steps do work. I live in CA and that is what they do with gun control here and it works. They spoon the people just enough so they can handle it each time and then keep spooning them some more and before you know it they are filled with gun control laws.

          Wars are not won with on day of fighting.

    • It must be TERRIBLY confusing to you if you can’t even comprehend the plain text of Section 5.
      ” As otherwise provided by this chapter or other law, a person who is not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm under section 46.04 of this code, 18 U.S.C Section 922, or other law:
      (1) Is not prohibited from carrying a concealed handgun or a partially oy wholly visible handgun in a holster; and
      (2) May not be required to obtain or hold a license for that purpose.”

      In other words “If you’re not prohibited (told not to), they can’t stop you from carrying one, and you don’t need a license.

      Get somebody to read, or at least skim, this for you.

  10. What does this do to the reciprocity agreements we have with other states? If i have/need no permit in Texas, can i carry in OK for example? Have we thought this trough?

    • Reciprocal states require permits. If you’re going to stay in Texas, no reason to get a permit. If you travel and want to carry in states with reciprocity, you need a permit.

      • That’s my concern. Will there still be a permitting process? If not, we will kiss reciprocity carry goodbye.

        • With the way this is written you best get a permit in Texas anyway. You’re more likely to stay out of trouble by following the permit laws.

        • Permits *are* still available if you want one, and they also just removed the fee for it.

          So, why you’d still want to get an LTC even though you won’t need one in Texas after Sept. 1:

          (1) No NICS check if you have one.
          (2) Carry in reciprocity states.
          (3) Some locations (campus carry) are off limits to CC carry but OK with a permit.

        • “Permits *are* still available if you want one, and they also just removed the fee for it.”

          Simpson’s Mr. Burns mode/on:

          “Excellent”.

          Even better news. All the more ammunition for eliminating a ‘poll tax’ on 2A freedoms at the national level.

          ‘Nudge’ for us… 😉

    • ‘Will it result in fender-bender firefights… as the bill’s hysterical opponents predictably predicted?’ – I don’t know, the speed limit on rural 2 lane highways down there is 75, so maybe. Probably a drop in the bucket compared to the other 4k bodies strewn on TX highways every year though.

      • ‘Will it result in fender-bender firefights… as the bill’s hysterical opponents predictably predicted?’

        The exact same thing was predicted in Florida about 25 years back, and the only thing that happened was ‘gun violence’ tracked the same downward trend as it did on the national level…

  12. Will it result in fender-bender firefights and shopping line shootouts as the bill’s hysterical opponents predictably predicted?”

    GOD, I HOPE SO. It’d be nice to see some crime in the streets that isn’t related to George Floyd for a change… 😉

    • I actually *snickered* on that one! 😉

  13. Well, I guess we have to quit saying that Texas isn’t the acme of gun rights.

    The saddest part is that so many of the antis who have, for years, acted as if Texas was the wild west will, likely, not realize that it has been just a few short years for Texas to go from restrictive to permissive.

    Finally, the motto is appropriate: Don’t Mess With Texas.

  15. I’m not sure what exactly it is everyone is having a cow about. This is a good thing. Although I would still recommend keeping the license for those that have it.

    The more guns in the hands of honest citizens just living life, the better. Texas has a great many good people. Most don’t carry. A large number of them don’t just simply because they legally can’t unless they submit to the state to an uncomfortable level. Personally I think having the license is great but I do understand not doing it.

    We need more people carrying. Not just in Texas but all over the country.

  17. Obviously some people are so grumpy they would complain about a pay raise.

    Never mind nitpicking the fine print. Jim Crow Gun Control zealots only read the headlines and that alone may move half of Austin back to CA.

    • And how did you go about securing your pay raises?

      Dream on about the gun control zealots. Most of the one’s that keep screwing us grinning about it were actually born here.

  18. But folks … after it all … if Chipman is confirm Wednesday it may all have been for nothing … regardless of how little it turned out to be.

    Y’all best focus on that issue next. You’ve got roughly 48 hours until it starts.

    • He was so hated a couple months ago I’m sure he will. Worked for him last time with open carry when he first got in to office.

  20. It’s about time! Texas not taking the lead on this was a national embarrassment. So good on Texas on stepping up at last!! My red state, SC, is sadly behind the curve with RINOs in the legislature holding us back. The fight continues…

  21. Reading many of the comments y’all ain’t carrying to start with
    Stop pretending and start 2Aing

  22. Well whatdya know… I guess the HB-1927 committee, and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick got my emails!

    The system can work!

    God Bless Texss…

  23. O WELL , I GOTA LTC , LIKE MY WEAPON CONSEALED , ANYWAY , WILL NEED AMMO , IF CAN FIND AT REASONABLE PRICE , $10 PER ROUND , UUUUH

    • I’m keeping my LTC and following those laws only. I have no confidence in this “permitless carry”. I don’t think this has a bearing on ammo prices though.

  24. Interesting how both the Texas legislature, Texas Gun Rights, the Texas State Rifle Association, and the NRA possibly had knowledge of the final draft before it was voted on but did nothing to show it to the public in reasonable time before the Senate took the final vote. Interesting how all this was timed. Kind of reminds me of Pelosi stated they had to pass it so you could see what’s in it. Indeed folks were right that have stated one side is no better than the other.

  25. You can keep your license if you want to, but will be just a useless piece of paper taking up space. Nobody will ever ask to see it. There won’t be anybody in the office who looks at that stuff, anymore. That job will be closed.

    – But as a precautionary measure, I guess you’re right to play it safe.

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