2A Newsletter: April 23rd

Texas House Passed Constitutional Carry

Texas has introduced Constitutional carry as one of its 8 legislative priorities. The house gave this bill final approval in a 87-58 final vote which included 7 democrats. HB 1927 would get rid of the requirement for Texans 21 and older to get a license to conceal carry if they are not prohibited from possessing a firearm by state or federal law.

Critics of this bill claim that this bill is dangerous to allow citizens to carry without having to pass a safety course first. However, the supporters of this bill are saying that Texas needs to eliminate barriers to self defense. The current barriers Texans are facing is the time and money that is required to receive a license. The current requirement demands that an applicant has 5-6 hours of class time and pass shooting qualifications. The applicant must demonstrate the ability to safely handle their pistol and be able to shoot 50 rounds total from the 3 yard line back to the 15 yard line without missing their target. The initial license fee is $142, finger prints $9.95, the course $65. The entire process to receive your permit costs more than $200 and may take up anywhere from 60 to 180 days depending on processing time.

Although over 1.6 million Texans are currently licensed to carry, this bill would need a lot of love from The Senate to pass. The Senate does not have the votes to pass constitutional carry, Senate bills require 18 votes from the 31 member chamber to be considered on the floor. Currently, there are just 18 GOP senators meaning this bill would need support from every single one of them in order to pass this bill.

Nevada Assembly Passed Ban on Home Built Firearms

Nevada has dropped Bill 286 which is a proposal to ban the sale, manufacture, and ownership of 80% lowers and other unregulated components. This bill passed the assembly on a 26-16 vote despite many objections from the GOP.

Although, they did amend this bill and removed the expansion of “Gun Free Zones” which would have left law-abiding citizens defenseless in public spaces. Gun-free zones are intended to reduce violent crime, suicides, mass shooting and accidental discharge in specific areas. In theory, these gun-free zones are supposed to entirely eliminate the presence of guns in selected areas. It's common sense that the presence of armed citizens deters acts of violence whereas gun free zones could be seen as more attractive targets to criminals due to the reduced likelihood of encountering an armed citizen. Also, a study from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows that between January 1998 and December 2015 98% of mass public shootings happened in gun-free zones.

Section 3 of AB286 would prohibit a person from possessing, purchasing, transporting, or receiving an unfinished frame or receiver unless the person has an FFL or the receiver has or will be imprinted with a serial number. Section 3.5 of this bill prohibits a person from selling, offering or transferring an unfinished frame or receiver unless it is serialized or it is in the process of being serialized. Sections 4 and 5 of this bill prohibit the manufacture and possession of an 80% firearm that is not imprinted with a serial number.

Louisiana In The Works of Passing Constitutional Carry

Louisiana gun owners are in for a surprise. The Senate Committee passed Constitutional Carry legislation by a 3 to 2 vote. Currently, Louisiana allows its citizens to carry with a permit if they wish to conceal carry, although if the weapon is visible, gun owners are allowed to carry without a permit. Senate Bill 118 would remove the requirement for citizens in Louisiana to obtain a concealed carry permit as long as they are 21 years old or older, and are legally allowed to possess a firearm.

State Senator Jay Morris claims that citizens should not have to receive permission from their government to exercise their 2A rights. Several law enforcement officials are worried that if this bill is passed it would result in a proliferation of untrained gun owners due to the lack of 9 hour training that’s currently required.

This bill is currently headed to the Senate Floor for further consideration. 

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