Handguns could be carried openly in Texas under legislation approved by state lawmakers that Republican governor Greg Abbott has said he'll sign.
The measure, approved Friday by the legislature, would make the state the most populous where residents with permits can pack heat on their hips.
The bill "aces Texans' God-given, constitutionally-protected right to protect themselves and their families," Senator Don Huffines, a Republican from Dallas, said in a statement.
Passage of the bill followed two days of negotiations between the House of Representatives and Senate over differences in versions of the legislation that had passed each chamber. The bill approved Friday excludes an amendment that would have prohibited police officers from stopping people and asking to see their firearms permit.
Urban Democrats had pushed for the amendment to prevent racial profiling of those lawfully carrying, while Tea Party Republicans had wanted it to preserve civil liberties of gun owners. Ultimately, lawmakers removed the provision under pressure from police who packed a hearing room at the Capitol on Wednesday and warned lawmakers that it would prevent them from doing their jobs.
Democrats were angered by the passage of the bill on Friday, which came sooner than expected. They said they'd hoped to stage a filibuster and debate long enough to kill the measure before the last day of legislative session on Monday. "This is a bad law," said Senator Jose Rodriguez, a Democrat from El Paso. "I do not believe the proliferation of handguns in public spaces, which have no purpose other than to injure or kill, is good policy."
