A new state law that has just kicked in makes Texas among the cheapest states in the country when it comes to obtaining a license to carry a gun, and to renew that license, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"No Texan should be priced out of their ability to defend themselves, simply because of the cost of obtaining a license to carry," Gov. Abbott said when he signed the new law cutting the application fee from $140, which was one of the most expensive in the country, to $40.
The fee for renewing the license is also $40.
Several people told the Legislature that the fees stopped them from obtaining a license to carry a handgun for personal protection.
State Sen. Bob Nichols (R-The Woodlands) said he was also concerned that the super high fees were prompting Texans to get their license in other states
."The fact that our fee was higher than all other states also caused problems with reciprocal agreements with other states," Nichols said.
The cut in the fee will also cost the state an estimated $12 million in lost fee revenue each year.