NRA-ILA | Texas Legislative Session Gets Underway Next Week! Update on Pro- and Anti-Second Amendment Legislation Prefiled

Dear Texas NRA Members:

The Texas Legislature will convene for the 89^th Regular Session on Tuesday, January 14. Lawmakers have been prefiling bills for the 140-day session since November 12, and they will continue to be able to introduce legislation until the March 14 deadline. 

NRA-ILA previously reported on both pro-Second Amendment bills and anti-gun legislation prefiled, and we wanted to update you on both categories of measures that have been introduced since then. We will keep you posted throughout session on future firearm-related bill filings and alert you if and when any of this legislation is scheduled for a committee hearing or a vote!

Recent Pro-Second Amendment Bills Prefiled:

House Bill 1487 by Rep. AJ Louderback (R-Victoria)

Eliminates the fee for the issuance of an original, duplicate, modified, or renewed License To Carry.

House Bill 1715 by Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deek Park)

Requires contracts involving the use of property owned or leased by a governmental entity to include a provision that the contractor may not restrict the carrying of a handgun by a License To Carry holder on the property during the term of the contract, unless it is a prohibited location under Texas Penal Code Section 46.03.

House Bill 1794 by Rep. Carl Tepper (R-Lubbock)

Removes the prohibition on the possession of firearms by licensed concealed handgun carriers on the premises of polling places on election day or during early voting.

Senate Bill 83 by Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood)

Extends the college and university campus carry law to elementary and secondary schools, as well as open-enrollment charter schools.

Senate Bill 674 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola)

Allows school districts or open-enrollment charter schools to offer students instruction on hunter education, the curriculum for which must be developed by the State Board of Education in cooperation with the Department of Parks & Wildlife and meet the requirements for a hunter education certificate.

Senate Bill 706 by Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown)

Provides for universal recognition of out-of-state carry licenses to bring Texas’ License To Carry law into line with the permitless carry law, which applies equally to non-residents.

Senate Bill 755 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston)

Establishes a sales tax holiday on purchases of firearms, firearms accessories, and ammunition the second to last full weekend of February.

Major Anti-Gun Legislation Filed To-Date:

Red Flag Gun Confiscation Bills: House Bill 234 (Johnson), House Bill 478 (Goodwin), House Bill 655 (Reynolds), House Bill 893 (Moody) & Senate Bill 353 (Eckhardt)

Prohibitions on Private Firearms Transfers: Universal Background Checks: House Bill 397 (Lalani), House Bill 432 (Goodwin), House Bill 461 (Meza) & Senate Bill 353 (Eckhardt); Gun Show Restrictions: House Bill 682 (Reynolds), House Bill 808 (Goodwin) & House Bill 828 (Bernal)

Restricting Rights of Law-Abiding Young Adults: House Bill 306 (Lalani), House Bill 313 (Johnson), House Bill 352 (Lalani), House Bill 384 (Goodwin), House Bill 579 (Reynolds), House Bill 1150 (Morales Shaw), House Bill 1556 (Moody), Senate Bill 41 (Zaffirini) & Senate Bill 195 (Menendez)

Limit on Standard Magazine Capacity: House Bill 481 (Meza)

Bans on Commonly-Owned Semi-Automatic Firearms: House Bill 443 (Meza) & House Bill 623 (Reynolds)

Mandatory Training for Handgun Purchases: House Bill 1599 (Rosenthal)

Gun Registration Scheme: Senate Bill 691 (Eckhardt)

Repeal of Landmark Pro-Gun Laws: House Bill 224-repeals Firearms Non-Discrimination Act (Rosenthal), House Bill 834-guts open carry law (Bernal) & Senate Bill 354-allows colleges to opt-out of campus carry (Eckhardt).

Stay tuned: NRA-ILA will continue to alert you on bills impacting law-abiding gun owners and sportsmen!