Abilene, TX – Gov. Abbott said that he will do everything he can to make sure a crime like this doesn’t happen again, proposing a slew of policies to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and other people who should not possess them.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickfamously said he was willing to take an arrow from the National Rifle Association in order to pursue stronger background check laws.
The Legislature passed House Bill 1927, allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training — an expansion of gun rights so divisive Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it.
Law enforcement groups vocally opposed the measure, worried it would endanger officers and citizens and make it easier for criminals to get guns.
Abbott touted that the bill was the strongest Second Amendment legislation in Texas history. For El Paso lawmakers who spent days with Abbott, Patrick and others brokering gun safety compromises in the weeks following the attack on their hometown, it was a slap in the face.
