Austin, TX — “Constitutional Carry” legislation is being taken up in three states today: Texas, South Carolina, and Louisiana.
Constitutional Carry, in the simplest terms, means law-abiding gun owners can carry a firearm without the need for a government-issued permit. Twenty states currently have Constitutional Carry laws in place, with four states adopting such legislation just this year.
Utah, Montana, Iowa, and Tennessee all adopted “Constitutional Carry” legislation this year. With the potential of adding three more states in the next two months, 2021 could be known as the “Year of Constitutional Carry,” with the previous record for most states in a year being four (2016).
Of the three states, Texas is the closest to becoming lucky state 21. Texas’ bill, H.B. 1927, has already passed the Texas House and is being voted on in the Senate at the time of writing. If passed today, H.B. 1927 would need one more vote in the House to concur with amendments, and then the bill will be sent to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for his signature.
Gov. Abbott has already publicly stated that he plans to sign H.B. 1927 if it reaches his desk.
Chris McNutt, the Executive Director of Texas Gun Rights (TXGR), who has been working on the issue for nearly a decade, is optimistic H.B. 1927 reaches the Governor’s desk but emphasized the fight is not over.
“In all my years working in Texas, we haven’t had a shot as good as this. We are close, but we can’t let our guard down. There is always an opportunity for weak Republicans to squish out and water down the bill or even kill it.”
If Texas becomes the 21st Constitutional Carry state, more states will be sure to follow.
Louisiana also has a chance at passing Constitutional Carry this year. A vote on a Constitutional Carry measure is happening in the Louisiana Senate today as well. The state is also considering passing a “permit open-carry” law instead as the “moderate” alternative.
While Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers, some Republicans are shying away from a “true” Constitutional Carry measure and are working to compromise.
If Constitutional Carry does get through both chambers, it will likely run into the roadblock of Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards, who could veto the bill. At that point, Republicans in the legislature would have to stick together in order to override Bel Edwards’ veto.
While an outside shot, a Constitutional Carry measure is also getting a vote in South Carolina. While moderate, anti-gun Republicans are stalling progress, Constitutional Carry has gotten farther than ever before in South Carolina. The Palmetto State still has the potential of passing this legislation this year.
Whether it is four states or seven states to pass Constitutional Carry this year, there is no mistake that the concept has made leaps and bounds on a national scale.
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