Wendy Davis regrets supporting open carry of handguns

AUSTIN – Sen. Wendy Davis said in a Monday interview with the Express-News that she opposes allowing the open carry of handguns and that she wishes she had a do-over on the support she expressed for the idea in her ill-fated run for governor.



"I don't live in the world of regret," Davis said in the exclusive interview – her first sit-down interview since the election – when asked whether she had any regrets about her campaign.



But she added, "There is one thing that I would do differently in that campaign, and it relates to the position that I took on open carry. I made a quick decision on that with a very short conversation with my team and it wasn't really in keeping with what I think is the correct position on that issue."



Davis didn't blame anyone else for the decision, praising her team despite her 20-point loss to Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott and despite a staff shakeup during the campaign.



"I can only regret my own actions, obviously. I admire all of the people that worked with me, even the ones that didn't last throughout the campaign," she said.



Her fresh remarks on open carry come as the Texas Legislature is poised to consider the issue in the session that begins in January. Abbott has said he'll sign an open-carry bill into law if legislation comes to his desk.



Davis stressed that her support even during the campaign was qualified, since she had said entities including municipalities, school districts, hospitals and private-property owners should make their own decisions on carrying guns. She also pointed to her support on the Fort Worth City Council of background checks at gun shows, and her opposition as a senator to allowing guns on college campuses.



"Though I certainly support people's right to own and to bear arms in appropriate situations," she said, "I fear with open carry, having watched that issue unfold during the campaign, that it will be used to intimidate and cause fear."

Her position on the issue during the campaign put her at odds with her party and alarmed some supporters.

"What I do know is that as an elected public servant, I've always been true to my core beliefs. Always. And I'm so proud of that," she said. "And this was the only time I felt like I'd strayed a bit from that."