U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- On Tuesday, May 2, TSRA-backed Senate Bill 16 by Senators Nichols and Huffman, passed in the House and is on its way to Governor Abbott’s desk. The Senate bill was sponsored in the House by Rep. Phil King, SB 16 significantly reduces the cost of a License to Carry.
At $140, the fee for an original Texas license, was among the highest in the nation. The passage of SB 16 brought the fees down to among the lowest, slashing the cost of an original license by $100 to just $40, and cutting the cost of a renewal license from $70 to $40. In other words, the annual cost of a five-year LTC would now be just $8 per year. No law-abiding Texan should ever be priced out of the ability to exercise his or her right to self-defense.
Again, the highest amount a Texan will pay the state for the LTC will be $40, the administrative cost.
Thank you to Rep. King for sponsoring the senate bill in the House and working to pass this important legislation, and to Reps. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) and Kyle Kacal (R-College Station) for sponsoring similar measures HB 339 and HB 1024, respectively. All versions raised awareness.
Suppressors!
Other bill movement this week included HB 1819 by Rep. Drew Springer of Muenster.
Today, HB 1819 cleared the House and is headed to the Senate. We hope it will be heard quickly in Senate State Affairs committee and move the the Senate floor for final passage.
HB 1819 deals with legally owned suppressors and is needed in hopes that during this session of Congress, the Hearing Protection Act will pass. This bill in Congress removes suppressors, also called silencers, from National Firearms Act requirements. Besides saving $200, the cost of the tax stamp, BATF is months behind in processing the applications.
HB 1819 sets up state law to be ready for the changes to federal law. If everything comes together, suppressors will require a NICS check to purchase in Texas and we want to be ready.
Currently Texans own more than twice the number of suppressors than any other state.
Besides muffling noise, a suppressor reduces felt-recoil, and increases accuracy with the firearm.
The clock is ticking toward Sine Die and the end of session on May 29th. We’re working hard to bring others to the finish line.
Our agenda, our membership, and our support are All about Texas.
Join, renew or upgrade your membership at www.tsra.com, or 512-615-4200.