Houston Chronicle by Jeremy Wallace 4/19/2021
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says 'constitutional carry' bill doesn't have the votes to pass Texas Senate
They have “backed the blue†with legislation to protect police funding.
They have also defended gun rights.
But now members of the Texas Senate must decide which one prevails as those top Republican priorities collide in what has become one of the biggest hot-button issues the Legislature will take up this year.
While a bill to allow most people to carry a handgun without a license sailed through the Texas House, it now faces a Texas Senate where the leader, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, has made his support for law enforcement a critical part of his political identity. And a large contingent of Texas law enforcement officials have adamantly opposed legislation that would allow unlicensed carrying of weapons, despite some gun rights groups pushing Republicans to make the bill law.
“This bill does not make officers more safe,†Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said at a rally in front of the state Capitol that included Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and dozens of other law enforcement officials. “It makes us less safe.â€
Patrick, who has the authority in the Senate to quell most any bill he wants, said Monday that the votes are not there in the Senate right now to move the legislation.
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/Lt-Gov-Dan-Patrick-has-not-voiced-support-for-16111569.php