After eight hours of debate, the Texas Senate finally voted on Wednesday, 18-13, to pass a bill allowing any state resident over age 21 to carry a handgun without first having to seek government permission, unless he or she has a criminal history. The bill now goes to Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who has promised to sign it into law.
The new legislation makes Texas the 21st “constitutional carry” state, though two weeks ago, after the House passed the measure, there was serious doubt whether it would pass the Senate. During the debate, dozens of amendments were proposed, either watering down the bill or designed simply to delay the vote.
The final bill now contains more punishments for felons found with a weapon, including domestic violence offenders, and those carrying while intoxicated.
Upon learning that the Texas Senate had passed the bill, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick celebrated:
I am proud that the Texas Senate passed House Bill 1927 today, the constitutional carry bill, which affirms every Texan’s right to self-defense and our state’s strong support for our Second Amendment right to bear arms.
In the Lone Star State, the Constitution is our permit to carry.
Not everyone legislator concurred. Said state Senator Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio):
This bill is not, in my opinion, a form of justice or liberty.
Actually, it practically gives anyone an ability to carry, which in my opinion makes it irresponsible and creates a path for more gun violence.
Unfortunately, it seems Menendez has neither read nor understood American history or the Constitution. History has repeatedly shown that more guns equal less crime (hat tip to John Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center for proofs). And the Constitution “gives” no sovereign citizen any rights. Instead, it guarantees those rights he already has as a sovereign citizen.
Constitutional carry is also known as permit-less carry, unrestricted carry, or Vermont carry, and has been adopted by 20 states so far, including Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Of special note is Vermont, which, since its 1791 founding, has never had any law infringing on the Second Amendment, thanks to the state’s constitution, which expressly prohibits any restrictions on the carrying of a firearm.
Dr. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, a former member of the Texas House, can’t understand why there would be any opposition at all to such a bill:
Vermont has had constitutional carry for years with no issues. They actually adhere to the words of our Second Amendment.
Why is it then that some Texas legislators don’t support it? Do they somehow feel that their Texas constituents are less worthy? More inherently violent? VERMONT, for Heaven’s sake!
I would think that any senator or representative who is against this would have some explaining to do to his/her constituency!
James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, made his party’s position clear:
The Republican Part of Texas stands for the uninfringed right of the people to keep and bear arms, knowing that this makes all of us more secure in a world where people would do harm to others, and it is this right by which all other rights are protected.
Tyrants in history know this. That’s why Mao Tse Tung claimed:
All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns. That way, no guns can ever be used to command the party.
As did Adolph Hitler:
The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms.
History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing.
Bills similar to the one to be signed into law in Texas are pending in other states, providing more comfort that attempts to turn the United States into a communist dictatorship will meet an immovable object: the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
