Texas Legislature Passes Constitutional Carry, Bill Now Goes to Gov. Greg Abbott

It wasn’t a smooth process and — no matter what he says publicly — Lt. Governor Dan Patrick had to be brought along kicking and screaming. But after the reconstituted version of HB 1927 passed in the house last night 82-62, the Senate just passed it this evening by a margin of 17-13.

The bill now goes to Governor Greg Abbott who has said for weeks that he’ll sign it into law. We understand the Governor’s office is looking for an appropriate location here in the Live Music Capitol of the World to affix his signature.

So with that, Texas will be come the 21st, and by far the largest state in the nation to enact permitless carry. As in virtually every other state where it’s law, constitutional carry passed over the loud objections of an assortment of chiefs of police, a minority of concealed carry permit trainers, the media, and the usual suspects from the civilian disarmament industrial complex.

Will it result in fender-bender firefights and shopping line shootouts as the bill’s hysterical opponents predictably predicted? It hasn’t in any of the other 20 states with constitutional carry and there’s no reason to think it will in the Lone Star State either.

Progress marches on.