Texas House, Senate reach deal on permitless carry of handguns

AUSTIN — Republican lawmakers announced Friday they reached agreement over a bill to let people carry handguns in public without a license or training that clears the path to Texas becoming the latest state to lift gun permitting rules.

The deal would keep in tact many of the changes made by the Senate, including stiffer penalties for felons who illegally carry guns and a free gun-safety course offered online, according to a copy obtained.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, and Rep. Matt Schaefer, who authored the bill, issued celebratory statements Friday.

“By working together, the House and Senate will send Gov. Abbott the strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history, and protect the right of law-abiding Texans to carry a handgun as they exercise their God-given right to self- defense and the defense of their families,” Schaefer, R-Tyler, said in a statement.

The House and Senate passed different versions of permitless carry and had to hash out their differences in a conference committee. The final version of House Bill 1927 still needs a vote in the House and Senate before it can go to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he would sign it. The 2021 legislative session ends May 31.

The legislation would generally let people 21 and older carry handguns in streets and businesses, so long as they aren’t prohibited from having one.

The Senate made several tweaks meant to appease law enforcement that ended up in the final version. One would prohibit people from permitless carry for five years after they are convicted of certain misdemeanors, including making terroristic threats, deadly conduct, assault that causes bodily injury, and disorderly conduct with a firearm.

Still, the Texas Police Chiefs Association recently said it opposes the bill, which “eliminates safeguards in current law.”

Patrick, who called the bill “historic” and a “national model,” said the legislation will become eligible for a final vote early next week.

“This legislation restores our Second Amendment rights and upholds every Texan’s right to self-defense,” the Republican said in a statement.

Some House provisions made it into the final version. One would let certain people expunge past convictions for unlawfully carrying a handgun without a license should the bill become law.

Critics have warned the legislation will let people who’ve never used a gun before carry one with them. Democrats also say the state should be focused on keeping firearms away from dangerous people in the first legislative session since the 2019 mass shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa.

In Texas it’s legal to carry a long gun in public without a license. But people must be licensed by the state to carry a handgun outside their homes and vehicles. The process requires passing a background check, taking a safety course, showing shooting proficiency and paying a fee.

The bill would nix the requirement for a license, but people could still get one if they choose.