By Bethany Narvaez/ nw news editor
Despite the fact that Texas had 2,823 reported firearm-related deaths in 2014, state legislators are still hard at work to arm its citizens as quickly and inexpensively as possible.
State Sens. Robert Nicols and Joan Huffman proposed Senate Bill 16 that would terminate license to carry fees in the Lone Star State.
With a $140 fee currently in place to apply for a handgun license, Texas has one of the highest LTC fees in the country. Should the License to Carry Fee Reform Act be passed by the Legislature, there would no longer be any cost to obtain a handgun license in the state of Texas.
If passed, the law would go into effect Sept. 1.
According to gunviolencearchive.org, 15,048 reported firearm-related deaths occurred in the United States in 2016. Of those, only 1,886 were reported as defensive use and a shocking 385 were classified as mass shootings.
We have reached a point in our nation’s history where people hear about another mass shooting on the nightly news, give a small sigh and slap a special Facebook filter on the profile picture to show their support before moving on with their lives.
Our reaction is not due to our lack of sympathy but because America’s problem with gun violence has become so out of control we have practically accepted it as a societal norm.
The state of New York currently has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the United States.
New York has secure regulations on ammunition purchases, bans most assault weapons, requires citizens to obtain a handgun license after a background check and requires the license holder to specify all handguns in possession.
Consequently, New York had 869 reported firearm-related deaths in 2014, compared to Texas’ 2,823, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A time like this is not the time to make obtaining a firearm a quick, easy task.
Our government representatives should be working hard to enforce safer and more practical gun laws that protect all citizens.
