JULY 2021 Blues Vol 37 No. 7

Governor signs bill that lets citizens carry handguns with LTC or any
handgun training. Most LE agencies are opposed to the new law.
Constitutional Carry Becomes Law September 1
AUSTIN – Texans will soon be
able to carry a handgun without
a license after Gov. Greg Abbott
signed a bill allowing for the
permitless carry of firearms.
The new law, which goes into
effect September 1, allows those
who are 21 and older and not
otherwise prohibited from having
a gun to carry a handgun
without a license. Abbott signed
House Bill 1927 on Wednesday
and held a ceremonial signing
for the legislation and other new
gun laws on Thursday. He was
joined by members of the legislature
and representatives from
the National Rifle Association,
as well as Jack Wilson, who
stopped a gunman at a While
Settlement church in 2019.
“Constitutional Carry is now
law in Texas,” Abbott said after
adding his signature to the bill at
Alamo Hall in San Antonio.
The law prohibits permitless
carry for people convicted of
certain misdemeanors in the
past five years and increases
penalties for felons who illegally
carry a gun. It also requires
the Texas Department of Public
Safety to develop a free online
course on firearm safety and
training.
Texans wanting to carry a
handgun have been required to
get a license, a process that includes
submitting fingerprints to
the Texas Department of Public
Safety, a criminal history background
check and an LTC course
with components education on
Texas firearm laws.
“I believe that the right to
defend yourself and your family
is given to us by God,” said Rep.
Matt Schaefer, the bill’s author
and a Tyler Republican, in a
Wednesday statement. “The Second
Amendment stands to ensure
that right can be exercised,
and infringements contrary to
that right must be removed. Laws
only constrain law-abiding citizens.
Fools and criminals don’t
care what laws we pass. My faith
is with law-abiding Texans.”
The law applies to both Texas
residents and people from out
of state, according to Schaefer’s
office. Handguns can be carried
openly in a holster or concealed.
The legislative session that
ended May 31 was the first since
the 2019 mass shootings at an El
Paso Walmart and in the Midland-Odessa
area. El Paso lawmakers
and gun safety advocates
have expressed disappointment
that more wasn’t done to address
gun violence.
Texas Gun Sense in a statement
said that the bill is irresponsible
and will endanger Texans.
“No one with any credibility
believes that allowing more
untrained people to wield guns
will make any of us safer,” said
Texas Democratic Party Chair
Gilberto Hinojosa in a statement.
Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke
of El Paso agreed that the new
law will make Texas less safe.
He said communities that have
experienced mass shootings
“understand all too well what
happens when we don’t prioritize
gun safety in this state.”
“I hope we as a state come to
our sense on this one,” O’Rourke
said.
The legislation has received
opposition from the Texas Police
Chiefs Association. The Sheriffs’
Association of Texas previously
said it supports the bill as
amended by the Senate. Chambers
County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne,
who serves as the sheriff
association’s legislative chairman,
said most of the changes
they wanted stayed in the final
version of the legislation and
that the new law has the group’s
support.
“We feel like it is still a good
bill that is capable of being
managed, and we don’t think
that the average citizen in the
state of Texas will even feel or
see a difference,” he said.
A spokesperson for Tarrant
County Sheriff Bill Waybourn did
not immediately return a request
for comment. Fort Worth Police
Chief Neil Noakes expressed
opposition to the proposal in an
April letter where he said the
department doesn’t support any
legislation that would allow a
handgun to be carried without a
license.
“At the FWPD we respect the
right of Texas to responsibly own
and use firearms,” Nokaes said in
a previous statement that was
provided to the Star-Telegram
Thursday after it requested an
interview. “We also know that
doing so is a great responsibility.
Having measures in place to
ensure the safety of all Texans
is paramount. It comes down to
responsibility and safety, not an
infringement on Texan’s rights.”
The Arlington Police Department
declined to comment on
the bill.
Abbott signed several other
bills related to firearms while in
San Antonio.
Among them is House Bill
2622, which makes Texas a
“Second Amendment Sanctuary
State,” one of Abbott’s priorities.
The law, which goes into effect
September 1, bars the state and
local law enforcement from
contracting with or assist in the
enforcement of certain federal
firearm laws that didn’t already
exist under state law.
Abbott also signed a bill that
prohibits hotels from adopting
a policy that bars guests from
carrying or storing a firearm or
ammunition in their rooms and
another that allows Texans to
carry a handgun in the holster
style of their choice.
“Politicians from the federal
level to the local level have
threatened to take guns from
law-abiding citizens — but we
will not let that happen in Texas,”
Abbott said in a statement.
“Texas will always be the leader
in defending the Second Amendment,
which is why we built a
barrier around gun rights this
session.
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