We’re ready to get Constitutional Carry to the House floor and convince the Senate to start taking action on this priority legislation! As always, we need your help. 

Here are three very important actions you can take right now to help move these bills forward: 

1. Call the Calendars Committee members.

The House Calendars Committee acts as a gatekeeper. After a regular committee votes to move a bill forward (as with HB 1911 and HB 1927), the Calendars committee gets to decide if a bill will go to the House floor for a vote – or die. 

Please call the office of each of the committee members. You’ll speak with a staff member. Say something like this:

“I understand that Constitutional Carry legislation is in the Calendars Committee. I am calling to ask Rep. ____ to prioritize moving Constitutional Carry to the House floor right away. Texas should allow anyone who can legally possess a firearm to carry it open or concealed without a permit.” 

• Chair: Dustin Burrows (R) — 512-463-0542 
• Vice Chair: Joe Moody (D) — 512-463-0728 
• Rep. Tom Craddick (R) — 512-463-0500 
• Rep. Cody Harris (R) — 512-463-0730 
• Rep. Cole Hefner (R) — 512-463-0271 
• Rep. Ana Hernandez (D) — 512-463-0614 
• Rep. Ben Leman (R) — 512-463-0600 
• Rep. Jared Patterson (R) — 512-463-0694 
• Rep. Toni Rose (D) — 512-463-0664 
• Rep. Shelby Slawson (R) — 512-463-0628 
• Rep. James Talarico (D) — 512-463-0670 

2. Contact your own State Representative.

After the bill gets to the House floor, we need to make sure it passes in the strongest form possible. Please contact your own State Representative. Ask him or her to commit to supporting Constitutional Carry legislation that allows anyone who can legally possess a firearm to carry it open or concealed without having to obtain a government permit. 

• Email: use our handy email form at the top of this page to write your own message
• Call: find your State Representative’s Capitol office number at wrm.capitol.texas.gov/  

Check this spreadsheet to see if your representative has already coauthored a bill. 

3. Tell the Senate to prioritize Constitutional Carry.

Sen. Springer filed SB 540, Constitutional Carry, which is waiting for a hearing in the Senate State Affairs committee, and is chaired by Sen. Bryan Hughes. Even after SB 540 does get a hearing, it is critical for the Lt. Governor to commit to helping to move it to the floor. 

Please call the office of Senator Hughes: (512) 463-0101. Ask them to set SB 540 for a hearing right away.  

Call the office of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick: (512) 463-0001. Tell them it’s critical for Texas to pass Constitutional Carry this session.  

Note: The Senate does not need to wait for the House to pass a bill. The Senate can and should go ahead and hold a hearing on SB 540. If the House passes a Constitutional Carry bill, that bill will go to the Senate and can replace the Senate’s bill at its current stage. Holding a Senate hearing on Constitutional Carry right now will avoid unnecessary delays later on. 

A note about these bills 

We support both HB 1911 and HB 1927. Each has its strengths, and each would provide a tremendous step forward for Texas. We also know that, with this type of major legislation, it is likely to change on the floor (for better or for worse). So, it’s important for you to contact your legislators to let them know the policy you want, not just the bill number. That’s why we ask you to tell your legislators you support legislation that allows those who can legally possess a handgun to carry it, open or concealed, without a permit. 

For those who are interested, here is what the bills currently provide: 

• HB 1911: allows an individual to carry a handgun open or concealed without a permit in all the same places as LTC holders if the individual meets the license eligibility requirements in Texas Gov. Code 411.172(a)(1)-(13) to apply for an LTC; also extends privileges of LTC holders (foster home possession rights, LCRA property possession, and employee parking lot storage) 
• HB 1927: allows an individual to carry a handgun open or concealed without a permit in all the same places as LTC holders if the individual can legally possess a firearm; also includes an exception clause that removes any penalty for carrying in prohibited places if a person leaves when personally, verbally told that handgun carry is prohibited. 

We think 2021 needs to be the year that Texas finally passes this priority legislation to make our state stronger, safer, and freer. Thank you for helping make this happen!