Texas Open Carry Legislation is One Step Closer to Reality

A senate bill would allow licensed gun owners to openly carry a handgun.

By Rhonda FanningMarch 16, 2015 9:37 pm

By a party-line vote of 20 to 11 on Monday, the Texas Senate voted to lift a 125 year-old ban on the open carry of handguns. Texas Senate Bill 17, sponsored by Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, will allow background-checked and licensed Texans to carry their handguns openly.

Lauren McGaughy, Austin bureau reporter for The Houston Chronicle, joins the Texas Standard on Tuesday to talk about the impact of the bill when it goes for final Senate approval.

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