Texas lawmakers consider over a dozen bills loosening gun restrictions

Gun safety activists are speaking out against bills in the Texas Legislature that lower the age to legally have a firearm, allow guns at schools.

Deaths from firearms continue to rise in Texas.

A gunman killed 27 people at Sutherland Springs Church in 2017, marking the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. In 2018, a shooting at Santa Fe High School outside Houston claimed the lives of 10 people. In 2019, a shooter inside a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people and injured 22 others. At Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a gunman killed 22 people in 2022.

And most recently, a suspect opened fire in a Dallas high school on April 15, injuring four students in the second shooting incident at the school in just over a year.

Despite these mass shootings, Texas lawmakers are considering over a dozen proposals that would loosen gun restrictions, including expanding where handguns can legally be carried, lowering the age of possession to 18, and narrowing the list of felonies that are disqualifying for firearm possession.

Learn more about the gun legislation that was left pending in House and Senate committees below.

HB 2470

In Texas, people must be at least 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer. House Bill 2470, proposed by Rep. Wesley Virdell (R-Brady) and cosponsored by 20 other Republicans, lowers the age to possess a handgun to 18. This proposal comes despite firearms being the leading cause of death for children and teens aged 1-17, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Supporters of the proposal argued that young adults should be allowed to exercise their Second Amendment right, but school shooting victims pleaded with lawmakers to oppose the bill.

“This bill passing would be a bomb being detonated,” Robin Breed, a member of Moms Demand Action, said during a House committee hearing on the bill on April 14. “Since Jan. 1 of this year, there have been at least 79 shootings in Texas where the gunman has been under the age of 21.”

“ And frankly, it’s a slap in the face to the Uvalde community who are still fiercely advocating for raising the age,” Breed added.

The Uvalde school shooter, who was 18, legally purchased an AR-15 style rifle.

Gloria Cazares and Kimberly Rubio, both mothers who lost their daughters during the 2022 Uvalde shooting, also testified against the bill.

“This kind of pain forever changes who you are,” Cazares said. “And now with proposals like this to lower the age to buy a handgun, you are putting more children at risk, and you’ll make even more mothers fear for their children’s lives.”

“I wasn’t there for her then, but I am here for her now,” Rubio added. “As we work tirelessly to raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, House Bill 2470 seeks to lower the age from 21 to 18 to purchase handguns. More children with more guns is not the answer.”

HB 4201

HB 4201, proposed by Rep. Nate Schatzline (R-Fort Worth), allows licensed gun holders to carry a concealed firearm on government property or any “sensitive location,” which includes schools, hospitals, bars, and airports.

“ Schools have long been protected by state and federal legislation from firearms — for good reason — with the understanding that schools are vulnerable locations and potential targets for violence and mass shootings,” Robert Watson, a policy advocate at Texas Impact, said while testifying against the bill.

“Making firearms, especially concealed firearms, legal to carry in schools provides no benefit, yet creates extreme risk,” he added.

Watson and other gun safety advocates also voiced concerns over the impact HB 4201 and HB 2470 could have on schools. 

“If this bill were to become law, along with lowering the age to obtain a license-to-carry to 18, then seniors in high school would be able to bring handguns into schools,” Watson said.

If both bills pass, Texas would become the first state in the nation to allow teenagers to carry handguns on school campuses.

HB 2771

HB 2771 would significantly narrow the list of felonies that disqualify a person for firearm possession, making it easier for convicted felons to purchase guns.

In Texas, it’s illegal for someone convicted of a felony to possess a firearm. If more than five years have passed since completing their prison sentence, a convicted felon can possess a firearm in their own home.

Hayes, who also authored HB 2771, claimed that the bill will “restore the Second Amendment Rights of Texans who committed nonviolent felonies.” 

But gun safety advocates and lawmakers on the House Committee for Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans’ Affairs disagreed.

“Your bill would let somebody with cartel quantities of drugs — which is considered a nonviolent felony — to be able to carry a firearm,” Rep. Terry Canales (D-Edinburg) said during the committee meeting about the bill on April 14.

Other gun safety advocates testifying against the bill said that rejecting it is a “no-brainer.”

“Taken at face value, the general public would not approve of this bill,” said Saami Baig, a gun safety advocate. “This allows convicted criminals with a violent felony history to possess firearms. I don’t think the statement, ‘Let’s give violent felons their guns back’ would sit right with Texans.” 

HB 259

House Bill 259 — proposed by Rep. Richard Hayes (R-Denton) and cosponsored by 30 other Republicans — legalizes short-barreled guns in Texas.

Currently, short-barreled firearms are restricted in Texas and must be registered with the federal government, which involves a background check for the owner and paying $200, or must be classified as a relic.

“ The current process for registering a sawed-off or short-barreled firearm requires a responsible gun owner’s commitment to a background check,” Flo Rice, an educator who was shot six times during the Santa Fe school shooting in 2018, said during the April 14 committee meeting on the bill. 

“I fear without this commitment, sawed-off shotguns will become more readily available to minors. This bill doesn’t limit the short-barreled size, so potentially a student could have a sawed-off shotgun small enough to fit in his backpack,” Rice added.

SB 1065

The Texas Senate is considering a bill that removes the recent gun ban policy implemented at the State Fair of Texas after a man shot three people on the fairgrounds in 2023.

Senate Bill 1065, authored by Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), mandates that contracts between government-owned properties and contractors ensure that licensed handgun owners are allowed to carry their firearms on such properties.

In Texas, cities can’t ban firearms in city-owned buildings unless specifically allowed under state law. Fair Park, where the State Fair of Texas fairgrounds are located, is owned by the city of Dallas.

But critics of the legislation said it’s an overreach that undermines the ability of the State Fair and other event spaces to keep the public safe.

“SB 1065 imposes a one-size-fits-all gun mandate on settings as varied as public streets, the Houston Zoo, and public universities,” Sarah West, a volunteer for Moms Demand Action, said during an April 10 Senate committee hearing. “It strips event organizers of the flexibility they need to make site-specific safety decisions.”

The State Fair of Texas is aware of SB 1065, according to Karissa Condoianis, senior vice president of public relations at the Fair.

“The State Fair takes no political position on gun rights issues and in fact, has long been, and continues to be, a strong supporter of the rights of responsible gun-owning Texan,” Condoianis told Courier Texas. “Our decision to change our policy regarding the admission of license-to-carry holders with their handguns was in no way meant to be a political statement.”

“It has been suggested that our new policy makes the State Fair a ‘gun free’ zone and therefore less safe than before. We disagree with this suggestion. The State Fair has adopted a similar policy to that of most all similar events in Texas, such as athletic competitions, concerts, and other fairs and festivals throughout the state,” she added. 

The proposal comes amid several lawsuits from Attorney General Ken Paxton over gun bans in establishments owned by the government. Paxton sued Dallas and the State Fair of Texas over gun policies last year, and that case is still pending in district court. He recently sued the Majestic Theater and the Music Hall at Fair Park, both owned by the government, for prohibiting firearms in their establishments.