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Texas Senators Advance Permitless Carry Legislation After Conference Committee; Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond

May 24, 2021

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statements after the Texas Senate advanced HB 1927, a dangerous permitless carry bill that would strip the state of essential permitting and training standards for carrying handguns in public. The bill would allow people to carry loaded handguns in public without a background check or any safety training, dismantling the culture of responsible gun ownership that Texas’s License to Carry (LTC) helps promote. The bill now moves to the governor’s desk for his signature or veto.

“It’s incomprehensible that the first action that the Texas Legislature has taken on gun violence in the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa is to pass a dangerous bill that will further weaken our gun laws,” said Elizabeth Hanks, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “These representatives have abandoned their oaths of office to represent our interests, and we’re putting them on notice – we’ll stop at nothing to make sure Texas voters know just how much danger these representatives have put them in.” 

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers from as far away as Sutherland Springs and El Paso drove to Austin to testify in the newly-created Senate Committee on Constitutional Affairs hearing which advanced this bill. Before the House vote, law enforcement officials joined gun safety instructors to hold a press conference urging lawmakers to oppose permitless carry. Earlier this month, doctors, law enforcement officials, leaders in the fight against domestic violence, and other advocates called on their senators to reject permitless carry, as have the editorial boards of the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, and San Antonio Express-News. Poll after poll has shown widespread opposition to permitless carry legislation and support for requiring permits to carry guns in public. Nearly 60 faith leaders and nearly 30 veterans sent separate letters to the legislature announcing their opposition to this dangerous policy. 

More on HB 1927:

  • HB 1927 would allow a person to carry an open or concealed handgun without a permit. This would make Texas one of the few states where it is legal to carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit and would dismantle the culture of responsible gun ownership that Texas’s License to Carry (LTC) helps promote.
  • Texas law currently requires a person to obtain a criminal background check and complete firearms safety training, including live-fire training, in order to obtain an LTC. HB 1927 would eliminate these safeguards, allowing unvetted and untrained people to carry handguns in public.

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