The Texas State Capitol building.Photo: Sergio Flores/Getty Images
A new law in Texas will allow citizens who legally own a firearm to openly carry their gun in public without a permit or official training, joining several other states with the controversial policy already in place.
The regulation, which went into effect Wednesday, has experts worried it will become increasingly difficult for law enforcement to protect the public against gun violence, which has spiked in America over the past year,CNNreports.
Before signingHouse Bill 1927, Abbott had previously toldWBAPin April, “I support it and I believe it should reach my desk and we should have ‘constitutional carry’ in Texas.”
With the new law, Texas joins the more than 20 states where constitutional carry is in place.
Under the law, individuals 21 and older who legally own firearms in the state are now permitted to carry their handguns in public places without a permit. Those convicted of a felony, assault, domestic violence, or terrorist threats are prohibited from legally owning a firearm and are excluded from the law.
Prior to the law being enacted this week, Texas residents needed to complete a written exam and proficiency test as part of their firearm training. They were also required to carry a license with their handguns.
The law has been met with opposition from gun control advocates and Democrats, as well as some law enforcement leaders.
“When it comes down to it, it’s just a sense of disappointment that the bill ultimately was passed,” executive director of the Texas Municipal Police Association Kevin Lawrencetold theTexas Tribunelast month.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia told CNN the law makes it more difficult to tell the difference between a “good guy with a gun” and “a bad guy with a gun.”
At a news conference held in Austin earlier this year to oppose “constitutional carry” legislation, Garcia said the law “makes our job … more dangerous,” adding, “Gun owners have a duty to ensure that their firearms are handled safely and a duty to know applicable laws,” CNN reported.
Proponents of the law argue it protects the rights of Texas gun owners.
“This bill, to me, is a restoration of the belief in and trust of our citizens,” state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Republican who sponsored the bill, told CNN. “If you possess a firearm, you should be able to carry a firearm.”
In the past year, Texas has seenan increase in the number of shootingsin the state. According to CNN, the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) reported 3,200 shootings have taken place in Texas this year, compared to 2,800 at the same time last year.
source: people.com
