Texas Evacuation Carry Bill Approved by House of Representatives
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.22.19
Last week, a Texas evacuation carry bill passed through the Texas House of Representatives after a 102-29 vote. The proposed law states residents would be able to carry a handgun without a license while being evacuated from a designated area during a declared state or local disaster.
The legislation – sponsored by Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) and backed by the NRA – would temporarily protect Texans whose licenses are lost or damaged due to flood, wind or fire, as well as those who don’t have a license because they never envisioned a need to transport or carry their handguns outside their homes.
Should the new bill become law, HB 1177 would cover 168 hours from when any given evacuation was initially ordered – and only applies to a person who can otherwise legally possess a firearm.
“Texans should be able to protect themselves and their loved ones, and to legally transport their lawfully-owned handguns if they are evacuating by means other than their personal vehicles or their own watercraft during a declared disaster,” the NRA argued in a statement. “They should not be denied the ability to take certain firearms with them for fear of breaking the law and be forced to leave them behind for potential looters.”
The proposed legislation is similar to a Florida law, which has been in effect since 2015.
