Democratic Texas State Rep.Rafael Anchia failed in his bid Tuesday to exempt Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin from allowing licensed open carry. (Photo: Texas Tribune)
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A number of rural Democrats jumped ship in the final vote for a bill Monday to allow open carry in the Lone Star State that would include some of the largest cities in the country.
The easy 101-42 roll call, which picked up seven House Democrats, clears the bill to grant Texans with a concealed carry permit and sends it to the Senate for concurrence.
The final day of debate saw the defeat of a proposed opt-out that would have exempted Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin from the expanded carry rights measure. Urban lawmakers argued that the four metro areas, ranked among the dozen largest cities in the nation by population, should be treated differently.
“Rural open carry is different than densely populated open carry,” said Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, who proposed the amendment. “If you put this to a vote in big cities, I think people are going to say resoundingly no.”
Bill sponsors did not concur.
