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Texas residents who legally own firearms can now carry the weapons openly without a permit or training amid a 14% rise in shootings in the state this year.

Gov. Greg Abbot signed the 'constitutional carry' legislation, which went into effect on Wednesday, despite opposition from policing leaders and gun control advocates.

The Republican Governor said the new law 'instilled freedom in the Lone Star State' and made Texas the 20th state to allow residents to carry firearms without permits.

Texas joins Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Tennessee, Montana, Utah and Wyoming as States who have allowed forms of open carry without a permit in 2021.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said in a news conference that the law could endanger officers. The state has reported about 3,200 shootings as of September, a 14 percent jump from the roughly 2,800 reported in the same period last year.

'It makes our job, the job of our men and women, more dangerous,' he said. 'Gun owners have a duty to ensure that their firearms are handled safely and a duty to know applicable laws.'

Doug Griffith, president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, echoed Garcia's worries.

The new law, which passed in an 82-62 vote, applies to Texans ages 21 and older and excludes people who are prohibited from owning a firearm, such as those convicted of a felony, assault, domestic violence, and terrorist threats.

Before the new law, resident could only carry handguns as long as they had a license and completed training, which involved passing a proficiency test and written exam, CNN reported.
[quote]Texas has continued to see a consistence increase in mass shooting since 2017, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as a shooting that injures or kills four or more people, not including the shooter.

The state saw 38 of these mass shooting in August, a 40% increase from las year.

Nationally, there were 464 mass shootings through August 31, up from the 418 in 2020 and the 286 in 2019, GVA data shows.

Texas safeguards the 2nd Amendment.

Today, Constitutional carry goes into effect.

Texans who legally own a gun are now allowed to carry it in public. No license or training is needed.

Xscape047:
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