A Senate statement on guns?

The Senate State Affairs Committee examined two gun-related bills on Thursday: SB 11 by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, allowing concealed handgun license holders to take their weapons inside public university buildings, and SB 17 by Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, letting CHL holders carry their handguns openly.

Both bills passed out of committee on party-line votes.

The committee did not consider a bill by Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, to allow unlicensed (open and concealed) carrying of handguns. That’s after the headline-grabbing push to “constitutionally” carry handguns being waged by the likes of Open Carry Tarrant County’s Kory Watkins and others.

Thursday’s hearings were a sign that the Legislature is serious about expanding gun rights. But the Senate also may have been sending a signal that its agenda has limits.

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 7:22 PM with the headline "A Senate statement on guns?."