Texas does not allow open carry. Yet. The Lone Star state looks set to rectify that, uh, oversight. Click here to read 83(R) HB 700, introduced by Representative George Lavender, separated at birth from Wallace Shawn. Given the state’s anger at federal plans for civilian disarmament, this may be the time for an open carry bill to make it into law. Watch this space. “This bill is a good first step toward restoring full open carry rights to Texas,” John Pierce from OpenCarry.org tells TTAG. “While we’d love to see unlicensed open carry in all 50 states, we recognize that we may need to reclaim lost ground the same way we lost it … one step at a time. The only change to existing Texas law: permit holders can carry concealed or openly as they see fit. Any politician who opposes such a common-sense improvement to the law will be exposed as an opponent of gun rights.”