Senate approves open-carry bill

Which U.S. states ban open carry? Take a look at the handgun and long gun restrictions in every state. ALABAMA Handguns: Legal, but some restrictions apply Long guns: Legal Which U.S. states ban open carry? Take a look at the handgun and long gun restrictions in every state. ALABAMA Handguns: Legal, but some restrictions apply Long guns: Legal Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Photo: Johnny Hanson, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 75 Caption Close Senate approves open-carry bill 1 / 75 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN – The state Senate on Monday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would allow Texans to openly carry holstered handguns with a license, after shooting down nearly 20 amendments that sought to restrict the legislation.

Senate Bill 17, sponsored by Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, would undo Texas' 125-year old ban on the open carry of handguns, but this only would be permitted if the gun owner passed a background check and obtained a license like that needed to carry concealed weapons.

The Senate is slated to give the bill final approval Tuesday.

It's already legal in Texas to publicly tote long arms like AR-15s and AK-47s without a license.

Over the course of more than three hours of debate, Democrats in the upper chamber proposed about 20 amendments to Estes' bill to further restrict the legislation's breadth, including those to require retention holsters and additional training or to allow municipalities to opt in or out altogether.

Just three of the amendments passed. One would postpone implementation until Jan. 1, 2016. A second would require license holders to be trained in how to retain their gun if it were grabbed by an attacker. The final would bar open carry on college campuses, even if the Legislature passes a proposal to legalize concealed carry there.

The bill was approved along partisan lines, with all 20 Republicans voting in favor and all 11 Democrats against. Most of the amendments were rejected by the same margin. The measure must still pass the House and be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott to become law.

The Senate on Tuesday will debate a proposal to allow concealed handgun license holders to carry on college campuses. Senate Bill 11 by Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, boasts a supermajority of cosponsors.