The anti-gun group Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is protesting Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott's support for an open carry bill, but faces a battle over the issue in the widely conservative state.
While announcing his plans on Wednesday,
Abbott told a reporter that "if an open carry bill is passed by the house and arrives at my desk, I will sign it into law," but Moms Demand Action leaders told Fox 7 in Austin that they have concerns about his plans.
The group joined forces with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier this year after the mayor
donated $50 million to form a joint project called Everytown for Gun Safety, which joined Moms Demand Action with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America in hopes of bringing strength to the issue similar to that used by the pro-gun rights National Rifle Association.
Abbott, while reaffirming his support for the measure, noted that many other states have less restrictive laws than Texas does on the issue,
reports Breitbart.
"Texas, as I understand it, is one of only about 7 or so states in the United States of America that does not have open carry," said Abbot on Wednesday. "If open carry is good enough for Massachusetts, it's good enough for the state of Texas."
But Moms Demand Action activist Claire Elizabeth told Fox 7 that Massachusetts has better background checks than Texas does, and she's also concerned the people could openly carry guns but not know how to use them.
Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson told Fox 7 that the group doesn't "really know what they're talking about," and that Elizabeth was mistaken with claims that all Massachusetts gun sales require background checks, as private sales do not.
In addition, Patterson said, "there is no reason to restrict liberty in any way if exercising that liberty is not hurtful. Open carry is not hurtful."
As a state senator, Patterson authored a bill that became the state's concealed handgun law, which resulted in a 40 percent decrease in firearms homicides.
Abbott is likewise a staunch supporter of gun rights, making headlines of his own in 2013 when he bought advertising in newspapers in Manhattan and Albany to urge New York gun owners move to Texas, reports Breitbart, with one ad proclaiming: "Wanted: Law-abiding New York gun owners looking for lower taxes and greater opportunity."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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