SAN ANTONIO – Gov. Greg Abbott appeared at Alamo Plaza Thursday to sign seven pieces of legislation related to firearms, including so-called constitutional carry.
Abbott was joined at 11 a.m. by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan and several other Republican lawmakers who authored the legislation he signed into law.
Abbott was also joined at Alamo Plaza by Wayne LaPierre, an executive for the National Rifle Association.
Abbott called the location of the ceremonial signing “the cradle of liberty in the Lone Star State” and said the people who fought and lost their lives there “knew the necessity of being able to carry a weapon for the purpose of defending yourself against attacks by others.”
The governor first signed House Bill 1927, otherwise known as the permitless carry or “constitutional carry,” which gets rid of the licensing and training requirements for Texans who are 21 years or older to carry a pistol. It will go into effect Sept. 1. Find an explainer on constitutional carry here.
Abbott referred to the new law as “the biggest and best of them all.”
Other bills that Abbott signed into law Wednesday, which he said all go into effect Sept. 1:
- Senate Bill 19 - A bill that prohibits companies contracting with a government agency in Texas if they “have an internal practice, policy, guidance, or directive that discriminates against a firearm entity or firearm trade association.”
- Senate Bill 20 - A bill that bars hotels from disallowing guests to store a firearm or ammunition in their rooms, or carry a gun or ammunition directly from their vehicle to their room.
- Senate Bill 550 - A bill that broadens the types of holsters a person is legally allowed to use to tote a pistol.
- House Bills 957 - A bill that removes prohibitions on suppressors, which are regulated federally, in Texas Penal Code.
- House Bill 1500 - A bill that would categorize firearms and ammunition businesses as essential during a disaster.
- House Bill 2622 - The so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary State Act, which prohibits the enforcement of certain federal regulations on firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition that are not in state law.
“Governor Abbott will be joined for the bill signing ceremony by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, Senators Donna Campbell, Brandon Creighton, Charles Schwertner, and Drew Springer, Representatives Giovanni Capriglione, Cole Hefner, Tom Oliverson, Matt Shaefer, David Spiller, and other members of the legislature,” a news release reads.
Abbott thanked the GOP lawmakers who authored and passed the legislation: “They built a complete barrier of gun rights in Texas.”
Abbott was asked by a reporter about a mass shooting that left one dead and more than a dozen injured in Austin over the weekend. Abbott said he spoke to the family of the slain victim and that they told him the incident should not be a reason to limit gun rights in the U.S.
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