Bills Advance in Texas House to Erode Gun Restrictions

The Texas House is considering numerous bills that would erode the state’s existing limits on who can own firearms and where they can carry them and nullify local government efforts to voluntarily reduce the number of guns in circulation.

Here’s where they’re at as of Thursday, May 8.

Left pending

Three prominent bills have been left pending in committee for more than two weeks. With less than a month left in the session, it’s unlikely that they’ll pass.

• House Bill 259 would remove the state’s prohibition on short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
• House Bill 2470 would lower the minimum age for licensed handgun possession from 21 to 18.
• House Bill 2771 would narrow the state’s list of felonies that disqualify a person from possessing a firearm.

The House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs heard all three of those bills on April 14, and left all three pending during that meeting.

Passed out of committee

Several proposals passed out of that same committee, which handles many of the Legislature’s firearms regulations.

That body also is disproportionately Republican compared to the House as a whole, with the party representing nearly three-quarters of its membership compared to the 58.7% that comprise the entirety of the lower chamber. To most accurately reflect the House, six of its 11 members would be Republican, compared to the eight that currently sit on it.    

• House Bill 1794 would allow any licensed individual to carry a concealed firearm at polling places. The public safety committee passed that bill out on a 9-1 vote on April 30.
• House Bill 3053 would prohibit cities and counties from sponsoring or organizing gun buyback programs to reduce the number of guns in circulation. The public safety committee on April 30 passed that bill out on a 9-1 vote.
• House Bill 3428 would punish most businesses if they display signs that indicate that handguns are banned on their premises — a condition that only applies to bars and racetracks under current law. The committee passed that bill out on a 9-1 vote on April 30.
• House Bill 4201 would allow a licensed person to carry a handgun, either concealed or holstered, in nearly every location currently prohibited by Texas law, including public and private schools, hospitals, bars, airports, mental institutions, amusement parks and in government meeting rooms. Courtrooms would be the only places where handguns still would be prohibited. The public safety committee passed that bill out on a 6-1 vote on May 1.

Passed out of the House

House Bill 1128 would let election judges and clerks carry concealed handguns at polling locations during early voting and on election day. The House voted to pass that measure on Thursday on a vote of 85-57. It now heads to the Senate for further consideration.

Sent to the governor

House Bill 3924 would allow uniformed school marshals to openly carry handguns on school campuses. The House public safety committee passed that bill out on an 8-0 vote on April 24.

On Monday, instead of debating that bill, the House called an identical proposal, Senate Bill 870, that the upper chamber approved on April 24 by a 23-8 vote, tabling the House version.

The House passed SB 870 in second reading on Monday and approved it in a final reading on Tuesday on a vote of 110-35, sending it to the governor for approval.