By Brian Brant
(AUSTIN, Texas) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill on Thursday allowing people to carry concealed handguns without any permit, according to Reuters.
Texas now joins 20 states with such measures, but Abbott praised the state's law as part of a package that he said turns Texas into a "Second Amendment sanctuary," undoing any new federal gun restrictions from enforcement.
Abbott held a ceremonial signing of the bill which is expected to go into effect on Sept. 1.
GOP state Rep. Matt Schaefer said in a statement that the law defends the Second Amendment and restores all law-abiding Texans' rights to carry guns.
However, Kevin Lawrence, executive director of the Texas Municipal Police Association, said his group was opposed to the bill "from the very get-go" and will be a huge burden for law enforcement in the state.
Lawrence noted he is against the idea that the new law will require beat cops to determine whether a person is banned from carrying a weapon, as the law creates a list of those who are shielded.
"We've shifted the burden to the cops on the street, and made it a lot more difficult for them," Lawrence said.
Previously, Texas law said if a person wanted to carry a concealed weapon they needed a background check, to undergo four to six hours of training on gun laws, as well as conflict de-escalation and live-fire training, before obtaining a requested license.
Texas' new law comes as more than 20,000 people have died from gun violence in 2021, with over 270 mass shootings, per the Gun Violence Archive.
Everytown for Gun Safety and the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action sharply criticized the legislation, promising to target lawmakers who favored the bill.
“Signing this bill confirms that Governor Abbott is full of empty promises,” said Molly Bursey, volunteer leader with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action, in a statement. “He promised to do something about gun violence after the mass shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa, but he just signed a bill that will make gun violence worse by letting people carry guns in public with no background check and no safety training. He promised to back law enforcement, but he turned his back on them instead, ignoring their opposition to this bill. We won’t let Texas voters forget that their lawmakers chose gun extremists over public safety.”