The Handgun Passport
Dan Patrick's Capitol passed SB 706 to recognize another state's handgun license, because apparently Texas needed one more permission slip for more guns.
The receipt
SB 706's official Texas Legislature caption says it relates to "the recognition of a handgun license issued by another state."
The TLO history page lists SB 706 as signed by the governor on June 20, 2025, and effective on September 1, 2025.
The Patrick problem
This is the Patrick governing style in miniature: the statehouse can always find time to smooth the paperwork for guns.
Need a practical problem solved for classrooms, hospitals, property taxes, insurance, water, or the grid? Please take a number. Need another gun-lane adjustment? Somehow the machine finds the ink.
Keep the claim where the source is
The same-run sources verify the caption, enrolled text, signed status, and effective date. They do not verify public-safety outcomes, permit-screening comparisons between states, crime effects, or how often this recognition will be used.
So this post does not pretend the evidence says more than it says. SB 706 is a handgun-license-recognition bill. The broader safety claims are not proven by these sources.
Texas can do serious better
Texans deserve leaders who treat public safety as more than a branding exercise for the gun lobby.
Vikki Goodwin is the better direction: practical priorities, less culture-war autopilot, and a Capitol that remembers regular people are still waiting on actual solutions.
Sources
Meet the alternative: Vikki Goodwin
Texas has a choice. State Rep. Vikki Goodwin is running for Lieutenant Governor on a platform of fully funding public schools, protecting the grid, and keeping government out of small businesses it doesn't understand. If you're tired of Dan Patrick's priorities, there's somewhere else to put your vote.