On Thursday, State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R–Fredericksburg) filed a bill that would institute constitutional carry throughout Texas.
Titled the “Personal Protection & Safety Act,” House Bill 1238 would allow anyone who can legally possess a firearm to carry it without a special permit.
Biedermann says Second Amendment rights are even more necessary in light of increased safety concerns from Texans, especially in the aftermath of the “defund the police” movement, the uptick of crime in Austin, and the rioting that affected many Texas cities.
“Forcing our citizens to ask the government for permission to exercise this right reduces its status to a privilege, and then making us pay for it adds insult to injury,” said Biedermann.
Biedermann also noted that more than 70 Texas counties have declared themselves “Second Amendment sanctuaries,” and Gov. Greg Abbott has discussed the need for Texas to become a Second Amendment sanctuary state.
Numerous pro-Second Amendment groups have already approved of the bill.
Dudley Brown, president of the National Association of Gun Rights, said he was pleased to see Biedermann “leading the charge to restore the right to keep and bear arms in Texas by filing constitutional carry.”
Rachel Malone, Texas director of Gun Owners of America, also approved, stating, “It is past time for the Texas Legislature to recognize that requiring a permit does not make us safer—it only makes victims more vulnerable. Gun Owners of America thanks Rep. Biedermann for filing constitutional carry, HB 1238, to repeal the permit requirement for honest gun owners. This legislation will help keep Texas strong and safe.”
Constitutional carry long been a legislative priority of the Republican Party of Texas. Currently, a companion bill has not been filed in the Texas Senate.
