On Monday, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee reported out Texas Senate Bill 706 by Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown). SB 706 requires Texas to universally recognize all valid out-of-state carry licenses, as twenty other states currently do. Texas can take a leadership role in the fight to pass National Right to Carry Reciprocity by acting first on SB 706. NRA members should contact their State Senators and urge them to support SB 706! Contact information can be found here: The Texas State Senate – Members of the Texas Senate.
A number of high-profile, pro-Second Amendment issues have seen House and Senate companion bills filed already this session, including:
House Bill 162 & Senate Bill 1362: The "Anti-Red Flag Acts" by State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), prohibiting the recognition, service, and enforcement of red flag orders unless expressly authorized by Texas law.
House Bill 259 & Senate Bill 1596: Introduced by Rep. Richard Hayes (R-Lake Dallas) & Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (R-Denton), removing short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns from the list of prohibited weapons in Texas. These items would still be regulated under the National Firearms Act at the federal level.
House Bill 920 & Senate Bill 1603: Authored by State Rep. Ben Bumgarner (R-Roanoke) and Sen. Adam Hinojosa (R-Corpus Christi), exempting firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories from the state sales and use tax.
House Bill 1337 & Senate Bill 706: Filed by Rep. Carrie Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) and Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown), providing for universal recognition of out-of-state carry licenses and aligning Texas' License to Carry law with the permitless carry law.
House Bill 1715 & Senate Bill 1065: Introduced by Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), requiring contracts involving the use of property owned or leased by a governmental entity to include a provision that the contractor may not restrict the carrying of a handgun by a License to Carry holder on the property during the term of the contract. This legislation is in response to the State Fair of Texas’ gun ban.
House Bill 1403 & Senate Bill 1524: Authored by Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) and Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), prohibiting child placement and state agencies from requiring foster parents to provide a list of the specific types of firearms that are kept in the home and ensures that information regarding the presence of firearms in the home remains confidential.
NRA-ILA will report to you on when these bills are set for public hearings and what actions you can take to help advance them! The deadline to introduce bills in March 14.
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