State lawmakers in both the Texas House and Senate considered several bills Monday that would loosen regulations around firearms in Texas.
A panel of House lawmakers heard testimony on more than a dozen proposals addressing everything from expanding where Texans could lawfully carry handguns to returning the right of gun ownership to individuals convicted of serious felonies.
Survivors of gun violence, including the 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School, testified during the hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs.
The first measure that inspired multiple Texans to testify, both in favor and against, was House Bill 259. That proposal would reduce restrictions on short-barrel firearms, the type of weapon used in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, where eight students and two teachers were killed.
Flo Rice, a Santa Fe substitute teacher, was shot six times that day.
"This bill doesn't limit the short barrel size," Rice told committee members. "So, potentially, a student could have a sawed off shotgun small enough to fit in his backpack."
"I am a Second Amendment supporter," Rice added. "But I believe it should be followed in a responsible way that prioritizes the safety of our children."
Testifying in support of HB 259 was John Poole, the executive director of the Texas State Rifle Association. He stressed to lawmakers that the proposal would not negate federal regulations that have been in place since the 1934 National Firearms Act.
The bill "furthers the freedoms and rights of Texas under the Second Amendment," Poole said. "It takes away another layer of over-regulation bureaucracy."
Texas has seen a steady increase of gun-related violence in recent years, with at least five mass shootings happening since the Santa Fe High School.
While the House panel heard testimony related to HB 259, the bill's Senate counterpart — Senate Bill 1596 — was being debated on the Senate floor. Bill sponsor Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (R-Denton) said the bill doesn't really change much.
"It's currently legal in Texas to own a short-barrel firearm," said Hagenbuch. "You just have to register with the ATF and pay a $200 fee."
If the bill becomes law, those same things would still be required. The only need for the change in the Texas Constitution is because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, changed which guns qualify as a short-barreled firearm, making several currently legal guns illegal under state law.
Senators passed the measure on second reading. It will still need another vote to pass the full chamber.
Another bill currently under consideration, House Bill 1794, allows Texans to take their handgun into a voting precinct as long as they conceal carry and have a license to do so.
The House committee also heard a proposal that would lower the age for who can possess a handgun from 21 to 18.
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