Days After Waco Shooting, Texas Senate Passes Open Carry Bill

A Texas flag sticks out of the barrel of a rifle belonging to Robert Perez, as he and others with the group Open Carry Tarrant County gathered for a demonstration, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Haltom City, Texas. North... A Texas flag sticks out of the barrel of a rifle belonging to Robert Perez, as he and others with the group Open Carry Tarrant County gathered for a demonstration, Thursday, May 29, 2014, in Haltom City, Texas. North Texas gun rights advocates are suing the city of Arlington for amending an ordinance that they claim is discriminatory and infringes upon free speech rights, in the latest sign of growing tensions among gun activists and government forces in Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) MORE LESS
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The Texas Senate on Friday passed a bill that would allow licensed handgun owners to openly carry their firearms in a shoulder or belt holster, the Texas Tribune news website reported on Friday.

The bill passed 20-11 after an hours-long debate over the addition of an amendment that would prevent police officers from checking for proper licensing of people openly carrying handguns, the site reported.

The amendment passed and reportedly received support from Democrats who said it would prevent racial profiling and conservatives who said it would protect Fourth Amendment rights.

Small changes to the bill will need House approval before being sent to Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who has said he will approve any open carry legislation that crosses his desk, the site reported.

The passage of the open-carry bill comes after a mass shooting Sunday, at a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco, Texas, left nine dead and more than a dozen wounded.

Abbott addressed the fatal shooting and the open-carry legislation on Monday, according to the Texas Tribune.

“Well, the shootout occurred when we don’t have open carry,” Abbott said. “So obviously the current laws didn’t stop anything like that.”

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