Governor Abbott Signs Permitless Carry Legislation; Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Are Available for Interviews

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statements after Governor Abbott signed HB 1927, a dangerous permitless carry bill that will strip the state of essential permitting and training standards for carrying handguns in public. The bill will allow people to carry loaded handguns in public without a background check or any safety training, dismantling the culture of responsible gun ownership that Texas’s License to Carry (LTC) helps promote. The law goes into effect September 1.

“Signing this bill confirms that Governor Abbott is full of empty promises,” said Molly Bursey,  volunteer leader with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “He promised to do something about gun violence after the mass shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa, but he just signed a bill that will make gun violence worse by letting people carry guns in public with no background check and no safety training. He promised to back law enforcement, but he turned his back on them instead, ignoring their opposition to this bill. We won’t let Texas voters forget that their lawmakers chose gun extremists over public safety.”

“After the shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa, Texans called on our lawmakers to do something to end gun violence – not to make it worse,” said Maya Friedberg, a volunteer leader with Students Demand Action in Houston. “This callous and reckless bill is an insult to every Texan who has been affected by gun violence.” 

Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers from as far away as Sutherland Springs and El Paso drove to Austin to testify in the newly-created Senate Committee on Constitutional Affairs hearing which advanced this bill. Before the House vote, law enforcement officials joined gun safety instructors to hold a press conference urging lawmakers to oppose permitless carry. Earlier this month, doctors, law enforcement officials, leaders in the fight against domestic violence, and other advocates called on their senators to reject permitless carry, as have the editorial boards of the Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, and San Antonio Express-News. Poll after poll has shown widespread opposition to permitless carry legislation and support for requiring permits to carry guns in public. Nearly 60 faith leaders and nearly 30 veterans sent separate letters to the legislature announcing their opposition to this dangerous policy. 

More on HB 1927:

• HB 1927 will allow a person to carry an open or concealed handgun without a permit. This would make Texas one of the few states where it is legal to carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit and would dismantle the culture of responsible gun ownership that Texas’s License to Carry (LTC) helps promote.
• Texas law currently requires a person to obtain a criminal background check and complete firearms safety training, including live-fire training, in order to obtain an LTC. HB 1927 will eliminate these safeguards, allowing unvetted and untrained people to carry handguns in public.