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Texas is making it more clear than ever that it respects the rights of gun owners with multiple new laws to protect Second Amendment protections.
“This has been a great legislative session for firearms owners,” exclaimed conservative attorney Michele Maples. “Your state government is here to protect your gun rights.”
Multiple new bills passed in the legislative session to ensure gun rights shall not be infringed.
That includes a provision to ban red flag laws, or the implementation of federal red flag laws which take someone’s gun rights away upon an accusation, before someone is convicted of any wrongdoing.
The raft of legislation also includes removing short-barrel firearms like “sawed-off” shotguns from the state’s prohibited weapons list, a decades-old restriction that makes advocates like Maples snicker. “They’re just short and ugly, and kind of got a bad rap because the Mafia seems to have used them 100 years ago,” she said. “However, it’s really no different from any other firearms. So, if you want to have these things, knock yourself out.”
The bills would become effective in September if Governor Greg Abbot signs them, as he is expected to.
Other provisions would prevent foster parents from being grilled over whether they have guns and also make it easier to use out-of-state gun carry permits in Texas.
2nd Amendment advocates are also cheering a bill to end local gun buyback programs which they consider ineffective.
Maples said the message is meant to be clear. “The Texas state is saying ‘No, no, no, cities. No, no, no Houston. No, no, no Harris County. We regulate firearms and we say that we want Texans to have lawful possession of firearms to protect themselves and to protect their families.’”