U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- As Texas gun owners wait for Gov. Greg Abbott to sign legislation allowing permitless carry of sidearms in the Lone Star State—so-called “Constitutional Carry”—establishment media is pushing the negative in an attempt to portray the governor and gun rights supporters as being outside the mainstream. It’s the sort of situation that can produce accusations of media bias.
For example, CBS News reported, “The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the measure Monday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it despite the objections of law enforcement groups who say it would endanger the public and police.”
But the legislation “does not allow anyone prohibited under state or federal law from possessing a firearm to carry a firearm,” the National Rifle Association pointed out. NRA supported the bill.
Rarely does the establishment media acknowledge that armed criminals don’t bother with licenses, background checks or training requirements, and never have.
The vote on House Bill 1927 was 82-62 in the Texas House. The Senate passed the bill with a 17-13 vote the following day.
“Gun control groups also oppose the measure,” CBS News added, “noting the state’s recent history of mass shootings, including those at an El Paso Walmart, a church in Sutherland Springs and a high school outside Houston.”
But those shootings involved perpetrators armed with rifles, a fact apparently overlooked by reporters.
Perhaps to downplay the ability of legally-armed Texans to respond to such attacks, the New York Times observed, “More than a million people in Texas have permits to carry handguns…In 2019, when a man in a trench coat opened fire with a shotgun in a suburban church outside of Fort Worth, more than half a dozen people who had gathered for the service responded by drawing their own firearms.”
The Times report failed to acknowledge that one of those armed citizens, Jack Wilson, fatally shot the gunman within seconds after the killer opened fire, saving possibly several lives. One-shot to the head brought the murderer down, and it was all live-streamed by the church.
The Sun couldn’t resist observing, “The state of Texas is one step closer to turning into the Wild West as state lawmakers seek to pass an unprecedented gun proposal.” But that’s not accurate either, because there are about 20 precedents set by other states that have already adopted “constitutional carry” legislation.
Rolling Stone chimed in, reporting “Texas is on the verge of becoming the most-populous state in the nation to allow permit-less carry of handguns, meaning any adult who can legally obtain a gun can take it to town, without any training or certification. It’s the firearms equivalent of abandoning drivers (sic) licenses.”
The magazine ignores the fact that legally-armed Texas citizens are already “taking their guns to town,” and they have not been a threat to public safety other than in the wild imaginations of anti-gun extremists.
CNBC was quick to quote former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo—now police chief in Miami—who declared during an interview, “From chiefs to sheriffs to police labor, we do not support permit-less, open carry.”
Acevedo is no stranger to gun politics, having criticized Congress in the past for failing to adopt tougher gun control laws.
But KIRO, the CBS affiliate in Seattle, Washington, quoted Republican State Sen. Charles Schwertner, the bill’s chief sponsor, stating “This is a simple restoration of Texans’ constitutional right under the Second Amendment, a right of the people to keep and bear arms. I think it is a bill that is the strongest bill I’ve seen in my legislative career regarding the rights of our Second Amendment.”
AmmoLand News reached out to Abbott’s office to find out when the governor will sign the bill. The governor’s office did not quickly respond.
Several news agencies, including the New York Times, have reported a poll conducted by the Texas Tribune and University of Texas “showed a majority of Texans do not support unlicensed carry, with 59% of those polled saying they oppose the measure. Results were split along political party lines with 85% of Democrats opposing the bill and 56% of Republicans polled supporting it.”
Unlicensed firearms carry by law-abiding citizens is an idea that has been gaining traction, at least in conservative states where Republicans hold legislative majorities and governors’ offices. With Texas coming aboard, more than 20 states will have abolished the permit requirement, though such permits will remain available allowing armed citizens to utilize state reciprocity for carrying concealed in other states.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz hailed passage of the legislation. In a tweet, Cruz observed, “I applaud Texas legislators for passing this landmark legislation to make constitutional carry a reality and to protect the right of law-abiding citizens.”
KIRO’s report said Giffords, the gun prohibition lobbying group founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, former astronaut and now U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, also conducted a survey finding 71 percent of Texas gun owners “supported keeping universal background checks for gun purchases.” It’s not clear what that has to do with Constitutional Carry, but under the state’s permit system, applicants must go through another background check regardless whether they have passed such a check when buying a gun.
NRA chief lobbyist Jason Ouimet said in a prepared statement, “A right requiring you to pay a tax or obtain a government permission slip is not a right at all, that’s why the NRA is proud to have worked closely with state leaders and legislators to pass the most significant pro-Second Amendment measure in Texas history. Our members worked tirelessly to provide the crucial grassroots support to make constitutional carry a reality and restore the rights of law-abiding Texans.”
About Dave Workman
Dave Workman is a senior editor at TheGunMag.com and Liberty Park Press, author of multiple books on the Right to Keep & Bear Arms, and formerly an NRA-certified firearms instructor.
“CNBC was quick to quote former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo—now police chief in Miami—who declared during an interview, “From chiefs to sheriffs to police labor, we do not support permit-less, open carry.” Thing is, most of my friends who are retired and active duty support Constitutional Carry. These jerks like Acevedo claim to speak for all cops, but they do not. There are the few front line cops who whine about “the danger it will put us in” and “it will make our job harder”. To those, I say, get over it cupcakes! This isn’t about you and it… Read more »
Amen to that, Grigori!
Phil in TX
Then why don’t YOU become a police officer and show us all how it SHOULD be done? Put up or shut up.
We need to start treating members of the liberal press like the common street walkers that they are
PAF at least with the street walkers one does get what one pays for – or so I am told 😉 The lame stream media, not so much unless you ‘enjoy’ having their propaganda being forced on you. OTOH I understand that some folks DO like that activity.
Art Acevedo is a Californian anti gun liberal. He can’t hold a job. Came to Austin and screwed up, went to Houston and screwed up. Now he is in Miami. Just a matter of time before he screws up there too.
At least he’s getting closer to the border (coastline).
Bozz – all too true. Makes ya wonder who his supporters/enablers are. Somebody has to be ‘furthering’ his career. Or else the towns that hired him were dazzled by his brilliance, at least until they saw thru it and realized he talked a good game but failed to deliver. IOW all hat and no cattle. Or something, maybe he’s the definitive example of the Peter Principle.
Nothing more than Preaching to their Kool Aid Drinkers. With the Defund the Police narrative resulting in higher crime rates and citizens feeling less safe. The Idea of Self Protection is becoming closer to the Norm than at anytime in the last 60 years. The mere thought of not only owning a firearm, but having it at hand in case it is needed is reaching citizens who just 5 years ago would have Never considered it. The number of first time NCIS checks and purchases clearly shows the trend of ownership is reaching a whole new segment of Society. Along… Read more »
“Reality can be a Cruel Bitch who sometimes teaches people a hard lesson. That being You are Your Own First Responder when SHTF.”
I like that! Quoted For Truth!!!!
I am not convinced, but I hope you are right
Why are you not convinced? Constitutional Carry is the law of the land now in over 20 states, and more join us every year. As far as I can tell, the cries of the anti-gun media and organizations like Giffords and Moms Demand of “there will be blood in the streets” and “it will be like the wild west” have not come true. BTW, I am a Concealed Carry permit holder, and I will continue to be, if only for the reciprocity I receive from the states I am most likely to visit.
Phil in TX
Phil – ya missed an important point that the antis purposely (IMHO) fail to bring up – Texans have almost always (since the 1870s IIRC) been able to carry long guns openly in public with no mother may I card. And we also could carry handguns in our vehicles without that card as well, with some limitations. According to the same antis, shouldn’t there already be that blood in the streets?
Looks to me like Art Acevado would be more comfortable as the Chief of Police in Santiago de Cuba. That is more his style.
send him to Venezuela no food fuel or water,but drugs there are
Or Brazil perhaps Socialist again, as David Codrea recently wrote.
This is how controlled opposition works, and all of you dunderheads are actively supporting it, to your own detriment. I will repeat, for the retreads in the back: THE GOVERNMENT IS DENIED THE POWER TO LEGISLATE WEAPONS OF WAR. THEY CAN’T TELL ANYONE HOW AND WHERE THEY CAN POSSESS AND USE THEM. Stop falling for it. This is how you keep on losing this battle. The only Constitutional, lawful, principled position isn’t, “Pass a ‘Constitutional carry’ law”; it is, “Hey government, it’s none of your fucking concern, and none of your fucking business! Know your place, or you will be… Read more »
I like the cut of your jib.
Art Acevedo is just another punk ass bitch. He should stick to doing what that descriptor suggests he is best at doing.
Once the governor signs the bill we will see and hear Beto and Matthew come out badmouthing the new law and the republicans in their campaign for the top job in Texas.
As a former resident of Houston where I worked in a bad area of town in the 70’s I wish they would have had that law in place then.
Acevedo is lucky anyone would hire him with his crappy track record as a chief of police, he couldn’t control his own force especially in Houston.
20 other states passed constitutional carry and the media was silent. Now Texas passes CC and for some reason, this causes a huge uproar in the media. Whats with that?
Bozz – it is the same old lame argument that the anti-gun crew has been spewng ever since I can remember. Started in Florida – ‘blood in the streets’ – ‘shootouts at high noon’ and on and on. They made the same claims when Texas adopted their original CHL (now LTC) and virtually every other place that has passed pro-gun laws. They STILL haven’t figured out that their gloom and doom predictions have never panned out. In a way that is good as it just shows how silly their arguments are.
Cause it has happened when China Joe is squatting in the WH.
Screw the Press, Communist Shills.
ATTABOY, ATTAGIRL, Texans! You are to be congratulated and commended for this admirable accomplishment. Well done!
Both the Texas Tribune and the University of Texas are located in Austin, which is the most liberal city in Texas! Of course figures referenced will appear in the poll. D U H !
Why doesn’t Governor Abbott sign the bill and file it, or whatever he has to do with it? Is he waiting to see how much backlash it generates, so he can crawfish on us? It took far too much political pressure on he and Patrick to get them to put their weight behind this, for me to trust them.
Just was sent to the governor sometime on the 28th. I suspect that is the equivalent of putting it in the mail. Even if he does not sign it, the bill becomes law. Iirc, the effective date will be September 1st, signed our not. He would have to veto it for it not to. https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=87R&Bill=HB1927.
Texas got a piece of its cake returned with ice cream on top by the sounds of it.
For the people of Texas I certainly hope this is not the case. They deserve the restoration of their natural rights as the founders intended, make your voices heard to Gov. Abbot to sign it,NOW.
Congrats Texas !
Hmmm…..those mass shooters in Texas ignored laws…..
—Thous shalt not kill;
—Murder 1;
—Armed criminal activity;
–et el, et el.
But, what we need is more laws,,,,for them to ignore. Libturd thinking….or NOT..
Once again, for the slow ones among us….that’s you Libturds…..
politicians with laws never stop bad guys with guns.
They only control the good guys, which is their true agenda.
Like a drivers license makes people better drivers. Been to the east coast, especially Md, Va, DC ? True liberal logic. Yes get rid of licenses all together. Just another form of theft at this point. LMAO
And in this great piece of work by Dave we see clear examples of how the Progressive New Left subtly twists fact and narrative to fit their anti-liberty agenda. The quote ‘law enforcement groups’ but do not name the names of these unions of managers. They reference shootings and shooters only when it advances their agenda. NYT failure to give the full story on the Texas church incident is a classic example of their propaganda craft. And folks, this goes back many generations. What we now call corporate media is really yellow media practicing yellow journalism while flying under a… Read more »
Interesting how the media uses crimes that happens with the laws they are defending. Well if that happens while something is illegal maybe the answer is to change things up to prevent that from happening again.