The Texas Senate passed House Bill 1927 (HB-1927) 18-to-13 along strict party lines. It would allow those over 21, eligible to purchase a handgun to carry in public without a permit.
To State Senator Charles Schwertner, the Bill’s Senate Sponsor, the legislation was about 2 things. “The advancement of self-defense, and the belief in and trust of law abiding citizens to avail themselves of their Second Amendment right.”
Texas Democrats weren’t able to stop the bill from passing. State Senator Jose Menedez did try to convince some of his Republican colleagues to switch. “In removing the license to carry we’re also going to be removing the background checks, the training requirement, the training class, the written exam, the shooting test, finger prints, and checks on an individual’s psychiatric condition or chemical dependency status.”
Speaking on the legislation Democratic Senator Roland Gutierrez painted an unflattering picture of Texas if the legislation becomes law. “More criminals are going to walk around with guns openly, I promise you. Law enforcement won’t be able to ask them one damn thing, because of this bill.”
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the President of the Texas Senate issued this statement today following the passage of House Bill 1927:
“I am proud that the Texas Senate passed House Bill 1927 today, the Constitutional Carry bill, which affirms every Texan's right to self-defense and our state’s strong support for our Second Amendment right to bear arms. In the Lone Star State, the Constitution is our permit to carry. I congratulate Senator Charles Schwertner for his leadership on this important issue and for the thoughtful and respectful debate in the Texas Senate today. We have moved quickly on this legislation and I want to thank all those involved who helped gather the votes needed to pass this historic bill.”
State Senator Charles Schwertner was forced to add amendments increasing penalties against felons caught with a firearm and those with family violence convictions just to get enough votes to pass the bill. This means that HB-1927 still needs the approval of the Texas House.