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Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a “constitutional carry” bill into law Wednesday that will allow Texas to carry a handgun in public without a license beginning Sept.
Under current law, residents must undergo training, provide fingerprints, demonstrate proficiency in the use of a handgun, and pay a $40 application fee to obtain a license to carry a handgun. Now, anyone over the age of 21 who is not already prohibited from owning a gun by state or federal law will be able to carry a firearm in public.
There are some deductions in the non-allowable carry bill, where employers can prohibit employees from carrying handguns at work and private companies can prohibit customers from carrying guns on their property.
And while handgun training is no longer required, the Texas Department of Public Safety will provide a free online gun safety training course.
Texas joins about 20 other states that have some form of unauthorized pregnancy law on the books. Texans are already allowed to carry guns in public without a permit.
In this Jan. 26, 2015 photo, a supporter of open gun laws wears a handgun as he prepares to march in support of open gun laws at the Capitol, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
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Carrying without a permit is a victory for the conservative lawmakers and gun rights activists who helped bring the bill into law.
“This is a simple bill about the advancement of self-defense. Law-abiding citizens can take advantage of their Second Amendment right to self-defense by carrying a side weapon in public,” Republican State Senator Charles Schwertner, a sponsor of the bill, said Tuesday. . “I believe it will improve safety for both the individual and society as a whole.”
Meanwhile, gun control activists and Democratic lawmakers have decried the legislation, arguing that it will lead to more violence.
In the wake of a shooting in Austin that left a New York tourist dead and wounded 13 others in the early hours of Saturday morning, Democratic Representative Vicki Goodwin wrote a letter to Abbott urging him to veto the bill.
“We want you, as our governor, to send a message that we are tackling mass gun violence in Texas,” Goodwin wrote in his letter to Abbott Monday. “This message is not being sent by revoking our licensing system and the requirement that gun holders receive training in relevant laws and safety procedures.”
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More than half of Texans, 59%, said they oppose unauthorized pregnancy, according to a survey by the University of Texas in the April Texas Tribune. Support is divided along ideological lines, with 56% of Republicans supporting an unauthorized pregnancy and only 10% of Democrats supporting it.
Abbott will hold a bill-signing ceremony at the Alamo in San Antonio on Thursday along with other prominent Texas Republicans, according to the Austin Statesman.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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