The Texas House of Representatives passed on second reading House Bill 1927 by a vote of 84-56.
State Rep. Matt Schaefer’s bill would allow anyone over 21 and eligible to purchase a gun to carry it in public without a license.
“This bill should be called Common Sense Carry, because this bill is about common law-abiding citizens being able to carry commonly owned handguns in common public places for the common reason: personal and family protection,” said Schaefer as he rolled out the legislation on the House floor.
State Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso reflected on the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso that left 23 dead while he addressed Rep. Schaefer about his bill. “April 15, 2021 is the date we heard a big gun expansion bill, like the big gun expansion bills we have every single session, having done nothing at all to make sure dangerous criminals aren’t armed, having done nothing at all to make our current laws enforceable, having done nothing at all to make good on solemn promises made to the families of El Paso and in places across the state on the graves of their loved ones.”
Democratic Representatives John Turner and Rafael Anchia made their case that the current licensing process includes a level of background checks and mandated gun safety training they believe to be necessary. “Let’s say they have a recent conviction of the kind I’ve just described of a Class A Misdemeanor in the last five years, Well let’s says they want to be able to carry…We’ll they’re not going to able, they currently can’t and they wouldn’t, if this bill passes, be able to go get a license, but they would be able to just start carrying,” said Turner as he rolled out a failed amendment to re-include the background checks and training requirement.
The House still needs to pass the bill on third reading before it can head over to the State Senate.