Texas Hits Snag On Constitutional Carry

In Texas, it really seemed like a done deal. Constitutional carry was going to pass. Enough lawmakers wanted it that there was no chance of it not passing the legislature. The governor is likely to sign such a bill, too.

It seems constitutional carry hit just such a hurdle.

The Texas House on Wednesday rejected changes the Senate made to a Republican-backed proposal to allow Texans to carry handguns without a license, sending the bill behind closed doors for further negotiations.

Before the permitless carry bill can head to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he would sign it into law, a conference committee made up of representatives and senators will have to reach a compromise that must get approval from both chambers.

House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun.

Among other changes, state senators last week approved an amendment barring permitless carry from people convicted in the past five years of making a terroristic threat, deadly conduct, assault that causes bodily injury or disorderly conduct with a firearm. The chamber also approved an amendment that enhances criminal penalties for illegal weapons carried by felons and those convicted of family violence offenses.

Bill author state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, drew cheers Wednesday when he announced he was rejecting the Senate changes. House Speaker Dade Phelan said the House conferees for the committee that will negotiate the bill are Republican Reps. Schaefer, James White and Dustin Burrows and Democratic Reps. Terry Canales and Ryan Guillen – two of the seven Democrats who voted for the bill.

Now, this isn’t good news, but it’s not awful news.

The bad news is compounded by there only being a short time remaining for the legislature to remain in session, which means any compromise has to be reached quickly.

The good news is that these lawmakers seems to want constitutional carry in the state, which means they’re starting from a decent enough place. My hope is that they’ll pass a law based on just the parts they agree with and then debate the other stuff next year. Get the law on the books, then modify it as needed.

If they don’t do that, they may well miss this golden opportunity for passing an important law.

I doubt the voters in Texas will be appreciative of such behavior, to say the least, nor should they be. They know what the people want, they just need to put aside the bickering and get it done.

Pass constitutional carry and do it now. Worry about the other stuff in later bills and let the people exercise their Second Amendment rights the way God and the Constitution intended.