Texas House OKs dropping permit to carry handgun in public

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas handgun owners would no longer need a license or training to carry their weapon in public under a bill that has cleared a major vote in the GOP-controlled state Capitol.

Democrats on Thursday railed against loosening gun laws after the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart.

Texas has more than 1.6 million licensed handgun owners, but scrapping that required permit has been a long-sought goal of conservative activists in gun-friendly Texas.

The bill now goes to the Senate.