Texas Senate OKs handgun open carry bill

Amber Downing | KVUE-TV, Austin

Show Caption Hide Caption Texas Senate approves open carry bill The Texas Senate approved a bill that would allow open carry in the state.

AUSTIN — The Texas Senate has given its final approval to a bill that would allow licensed gun permit holders to openly carry handguns, sending the bill to the House.

Tuesday's 20-10 vote in the Senate comes on the heels of Monday's 20-11 vote to approve Senate Bill 17, which would make open carry legal for those with a concealed handgun license.

The bill would allow concealed handgun license holders to display their guns in shoulder or belt holsters.

Texas is one of six states — California, Florida, Illinois, New York and South Carolina — along with Washington, D.C., to prohibit open carry. According to OpenCarry.org, 14 states require a permit or license to open carry; 30 states allow open carry without a permit or a license, and in some cases the gun must be unloaded.

Texas easily has the most gun-friendly reputation. From manufacturers to dealers, Texas has the most federal firearms license holders in the country. It has few restrictions on gun ownership, and the state has actively lobbied gun makers to move to the state.

Texas also allows the public display of long guns, such as rifles and shotguns, and open carry advocates have staged high-profile rallies at the Alamo and state Capitol. Concealed handguns are allowed inside the Capitol, where license holders can bypass metal detectors.

But the state also has had a 140-year ban on open carry, a prohibition dating to the post-Civil War era that disarmed former Confederate soldiers and freed slaves alike.

"I think what we're talking about here are responsible citizens who are trained who have gone through a background check and we will expect them to act responsibly," said state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican from Houston, on Monday.

That's a worry for some moms who believe it's sending kids a mixed message.

"On the one hand, they're getting a lockdown drill (at school)," said Stephanie Lundy, a spokeswoman for ​Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America. "On the other hand, they're being told that it's perfectly acceptable."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has already said he'll approve an open carry bill.

Senators on Monday approved four amendments including delaying implementation until 2016, banning open carry on college campuses and two that would require more advanced training for police and license holders.

The most heated moment Monday was between the bill's author, Sen. Craig Estes, a Republican from Wichita Falls, and Sen. John Whitmire, a Democrat from Houston.

Whitmire pitched an amendment to exempt the capitol complex from the bill.

"The idea that somebody's going to grab that gun, I think, is far-fetched," said Estes.

"It's not only offensive, it's dead wrong, to say that it's far-fetched that there's not disturbed people in this building," Whitmire said.

The bill passed by the Senate still requires Texans to get a license to carry a handgun. Texas has nearly 850,000 concealed handgun license holders under a process that requires classroom and gun range training, although lawmakers have lowered those standards in recent years.

The House, meanwhile, is working on its own gun bills, including open carry and "campus carry," which would allow students, faculty and staff over the age of 21 to have guns at public colleges and universities.

Contributing: The Associated Press