“I don’t feel like cost is something that should prevent me from protecting myself and my family,” said one woman who testified in support of the bill.
“The gun rights advocates have a point that we have one of highest fees in the country. However, we have one the biggest gun violence problems in the country,” said Andrea Brauer, executive director of Texas Gun Sense.
“Yes, we need to protect our gun rights and we need to make the gun enthusiasts happy,” Braurer said. “But what about the right to life and the kids and the deaths and the problem that we have in Texas, when are we going to step up and address that?”
While gun rights activists don’t oppose the bill, some don’t support it either—pushing for the right to carry without a permit at all.
Advocates for gun safety strongly oppose Constitutional carry, a proposal that failed in the last legislative session but is back on the table this year.
That’s what SB 16 initially called for but Nichols said the bill was revised because the estimated revenue loss for the state was too high.
