TEXAS ROLLS BACK PERMIT RULES FOR HANDGUNS

Texas will now let people carry handguns without first getting a background check and training, becoming the latest and largest on a growing list of states to roll back permitting requirements for carrying guns in public.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott held a ceremonial bill signing Thursday at the Alamo, a key historical symbol of Texas pride, in San Antonio. He called it a measure of freedom and self-defense, while also connecting it to his ongoing fight with the Biden administration over the flow of migrants across the border with Mexico.

“There is a need for people to have a weapon to defend themselves in the Lone Star State,” Abbott said.

Gun rights groups have made significant gains in efforts to relax gun possession laws. Several states have passed similar bills this year, including Tennessee, Utah and Iowa. Montana and Wyoming also expanded the ability to carry without a permit. Legislation passed in Louisiana but is expected to be vetoed. Republican-controlled legislatures in Pennsylvania and Ohio are also considering similar bills.

The legislation comes against the backdrop of record-shattering gun sales that began as the coronavirus pandemic took hold last year and have continued to grow.

The Texas law takes effect Sept. 1 and Abbott signed the bill over the objections of law enforcement groups who say the change will endanger the public and police. It’s backed by gun rights groups including the National Rifle Association, who argue it will allow Texans to better defend themselves and remove hurdles to the constitutional right to bear arms.

The NRA has called it the “most significant” gun rights measure in the state’s history.

Texas already has some of the loosest gun laws in the country and has more than 1.6 million handgun license holders. The state doesn’t require a permit to carry a rifle. Still, previous efforts to remove the handgun license requirement had been resisted until a strong push from conservatives lawmakers this year.