Guns

Facing a nationwide increase in violent crime — particularly involving firearms — President Joe Biden will meet Monday with law enforcement, local elected officials and advocates to discuss his efforts to address gun crimes.

After Texas was rocked by back-to-back mass shootings, some of the state’s top Republican leaders promised change. Gun safety advocates and Democratic lawmakers hoped gun violence prevention might become a priority. Yet the legislative session that just wrapped moved in the opposite direction.

The Legislature passed a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training — an expansion of gun rights so divisive Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it.

The Republican-dominated Legislature approved the measure Monday, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it despite the objections of law enforcement groups who say it would endanger the public and police.

Some blame the U.S.'s high rate of police shootings on racism or militarism. But another theory says there's a simpler problem: American police aren't taught how to grapple with armed suspects.

House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun.

House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun.

The governor broke his silence Tuesday on the legislation that has been building momentum at the Texas Capitol.

Data from the FBI's firearms background check database shows six days in March of this year were among the top 10 highest days of firearms background checks since 1998.

After a big surge in gun deaths in 2020, high-profile mass shootings this spring are a reminder that America's epidemic of gun violence persists.

House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun. Texans under current state law must generally be licensed to carry handguns, either openly or concealed.

Opponents, including firearm instructors and police, worry permitless carry would be a public safety risk.