The Texas Department of Public Safety has proposed a rule that would require the use of a federal program, known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program, to check the citizenship and eligibility of those who apply for a Texas License to Carry.
Federal law prohibits illegal aliens from owning or carrying a firearm, let alone receiving an LTC from Texas DPS, and LTCs are only issued to citizens or legal permanent residents. Attorney Emily Taylor, who specializes in firearms law, says this is an effort to make enforcement of that easier. “What this appears to do is make the DPS’s restrictions more consistent,” she said.
While this might raise concerns for those wary of more government encroachment on the Second Amendment, Taylor didn’t seem concerned. According to her: “It’s not tightening the restriction, it’s not loosening it, it’s just making sure the DPS can enforce it in the same way they enforce other licensing restrictions.”
She also hinted that this could be a possible avenue to loosening LTC restrictions later down the road, specifically when it comes to things like fingerprint requirements.