Here’s a story that will make you feel thankful for former Prime Minister John Howard. Incidents of shootings in the US are soaring and Texas has become the latest State to let most Texans who legally own a firearm to carry it openly in public without obtaining a permit or training.
The controversial “constitutional carry” legislation, which came into force on Wednesday, is the latest in a series of pro-gun bills that state lawmakers passed this year as gun violence rises in Texas and across the US.
The number of shootings in Texas, not including suicides, has increased 14 per cent this year with roughly 3,200 shootings compared to the same period in 2020, which recorded roughly 2,800 shootings, according to data compiled by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA). Gun violence incidents this year represent a 50% increase over the same period in 2019, which saw 2,100 shootings, the data shows.
Andrew Karwoski, a policy expert at Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organisation in the country, summed up what most people would feel.
“Just allowing almost anyone to carry a handgun in public, no questions asked, no background check or safety training, is really dangerous.”
Conservative activists had lobbied for permit-less carry proposals for years, but they were stalled in the past three legislative sessions. Declaring that the law “instilled freedom in the Lone Star State”, Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed the bill – which the state House of Representatives approved in an 82-62 vote – into law in June.
Texas joins several other Republican-controlled states – such as Iowa, Tennessee, Montana, Utah and Wyoming – that have passed legislation this year, allowing some form of permit-less carry.
In April, President Joe Biden enacted “six initial actions” to address the gun violence, however in more than 40 states, people can carry loaded, semi-automatic rifles in public without a license or training.
The US used to be a country you looked up to.
