In April, Tennessee joined the ranks of the states where gun owners can carry without a permit after Governor Bill Lee signed the legislature’s permitless carry bill in law. There are now 20 states with permitless carry in effect:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
The big question many gun owners and Second Amendment activists are asking is, will Texas be next?
A permitless carry bill recently passed through the Texas Senate’s Special Committee on Constitutional Issues, but Texas’s Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doesn’t think there’s enough support in the Texas Senate for the bill to pass a floor vote. The Texas Tribune reports:
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Monday that the state Senate does not currently have the votes to pass permitless carry of handguns but that he will try to see if there is a “path” to change that.
The news from the Republican presiding officer of the Senate came days after the House approved a permitless carry bill, commonly referred to as “constitutional carry” by supporters.
“If we have the votes to pass a permitless carry bill off the Senate floor, I will move it,” Patrick said in a statement. “At this point we don’t have the votes on the floor to pass it. I plan to meet with law enforcement who oppose permitless carry and with the [National Rifle Association] and [Gun Owners of America] who support it to see if we can find a path that a majority of senators will vote to pass.”
In most cases, Senate bills require 18 votes from the 31-member chamber to be considered on the floor. There are only 18 GOP senators, so a permitless-carry bill would need the support of every Republican in the chamber to reach the floor — or at least one Democratic vote if any Republicans defect.
Action Line: If you’re living in a state that suppresses your right to bear arms, consider moving to one of America’s “freedom corridors,” and living the life you want.
