Breitbart by Bob Price2 Jun 2017
The Texas Legislature ended its 85th session, passing seven pro-gun bills. Governor Greg Abbott promptly signed two of them into law. The body also protected gun owners’ rights by blocking five anti-gun bills.
Governor Abbott signed two of the seven pro-gun rights bills into law. Both laws become effective on September 1, 2017. The first, Senate Bill 16, reduces the cost to Texas gun owners wanting to obtain a State-issued License to Carry (LTC). This bill, a priority bill for Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, reduces the LTC fee for new and renewal licenses to the lowest cost in the nation, according to a statement obtained by Breitbart Texas from the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) Institute for Legislative Action (ILA). Abbott signed the bill into law in a ceremony at a gun store just before the end of the legislative session, Breitbart Texas reported.
“No law abiding Texan should be priced out of the ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Governor Abbott said following the bill’s signing. “I’d like to thank Senator Robert Nichols and Representative Phil King for their work in expanding liberty in Texas.”
Lt. Governor Patrick called the bill a top priority for the legislature when Senator Nichols introduced the bill in January. “SB 16 will make lawful carry more affordable for law-abiding citizens across the state,” the Lt. Governor stated. “No Texan should be deprived of their right to self-protection because of onerous licensing fees imposed by the state.”
Abbott also signed House Bill 1819 into law. The bill, authored by State Representative Drew Springer (R-Muenster) provides protection for gun owners purchasing a sound suppressor. “If the Hearing Protection Act that eliminates this federal requirement were to pass Congress before the Texas Legislature meets again in 2019, suppressor owners would have no way of complying with state law and could be guilty of a felony offense without this important change,” ILA officials stated. State Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) authored companion Senate bill, SB 842), and guided HB 1819 through the Senate for final passage.
During the final stages of the bill’s debate, State Senator Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) added an amendment clarifying that a short-barreled firearm with a pistol grip (not non-Class 3 National Firearms Act) is legal to sell an own in Texas. The senator added an amendment to clarify questions about the legality in the Lone Star State relating to the Mossberg 590 Shockwave. Prior to the passage of this law, Texas was one of only two states where the gun could not be legally sold, ILA officials stated. State Representative Poncho Nevarez (D-Eagle Pass) assisted in the House’s adoption of the Senate’s amendment. In 2014, Mossberg expanded its manufacturing capacity with a new facility located in Eagle Pass, Texas.
Five other bills passed by the Legislature await the governor’s signature. The governor has until June 18 to sign or veto the bills. The ILA details those bills as:
More:
http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2017/06/02/texas-legislature-ends-session-7-pro-gun-bills-passed/
