While walking to your car, a man lunges at you and demands your wallet. What do you do?

In Texas, if you have a License to Carry, you can draw your handgun to deter the assailant and protect yourself.

If you don’t have your government permission slip, you must hand over your property or try your chances of fighting off the thief.

I don’t recommend the latter.

You see, due to fears of transmitting the Chinese coronavirus, it is becoming impossible for some law-abiding Texans to get fingerprinted and apply for an LTC.

And if they choose to exercise those rights without the LTC, they can be thrown in jail!

That’s why Texas Gun Rights is calling on Gov. Abbott to issue an executive order waiving the requirements for a License to Carry, enacting de-facto constitutional carry!

In addition to fingerprinting issues, the NICS background check system is being overwhelmed by millions of new firearms purchases around the country … causing severe delays for purchasing AND licensing.

You don’t need me to tell you that a right delayed is a right denied.

The delays can become deadly, especially when you have places like Travis County, where some prisoners are being released from jail as part of “emergency precautions” in response to coronavirus … including those in jail for theft!

And these infringements could all be avoided if Texas were a constitutional carry state.

Constitutional carry is a simple concept. If you’re able to legally possess a handgun, you should be able to carry to protect you and your family without having to first beg government for permission or pay expensive fees.

Period.

Fifteen states already have constitutional carry as law and—in spite of fear-mongering from anti-gunners in BOTH parties—there are no increases of violent crime or accidental shootings in these states.

In fact, 31 states allow open carry of a handgun without a permit.

You can already open carry your shotgun or AR-15 without a license in Texas, but if you carry your handgun without a license, you’re made a criminal!

Constitutional carry simply puts the handgun on the same level playing field as your shotgun or rifle for law-abiding Texans.

Now, I always get the question: “Chris, will we lose reciprocity to carry in other states if constitutional carry passes?”

The simple answer is NO.

Constitutional carry leaves the permitting process in place for reciprocity purposes and for convenience while purchasing firearms.

So it’s long past time for Texas to become the 16th constitutional carry state!

Law-abiding Texans should not be punished because they cannot fulfill a step in an already burdensome legal pathway to exercising your right to bear arms.

If bureaucrats deem your rights as expendable during a crisis, they have the power to suspend your rights at any time.

This is the exact type of “slippery slope” anti-gun Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein would love to see.

And we need to show politicians in Austin we mean business.

So please sign our constitutional carry petition—and be automatically entered to win the TXGR-branded “Range Day” kit.

Texas Gun Rights will never give up the fight for the Second Amendment.

This is a commentary submitted and published with the author’s permission. If you wish to submit a commentary to Texas Scorecard, please submit your article to submission@texasscorecard.com.

Chris McNutt

Chris McNutt is the pro-gun voice for the 350,000 members and supporters of Texas Gun Rights. Serving as Executive Director, Chris is leading the charge to restore every law-abiding Texan’s right to keep and bear arms.

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