AUSTIN, Texas — The memory of her son Jon follows Leesa Ross wherever she goes. 

“He’s the first person I see every single day,” Ross said, holding a picture of him she keeps in her purse.

Her son died in an accidental shooting 2009. 

“My son was 23, in a room with all 20-year-olds, young adults, and the behavior that happened in that room, not only of my son, but the other people that were in there, it was reckless behavior, Ross said. 

Ross was thinking of him Thursday at the Texas Capitol when she joined gun violence prevention advocates in the House chambers to watch debate. 

House Republicans gave initial passage to the permitless carry of handguns, making it one step closer to becoming a law, something Ross opposes.  

In a 84-56 vote, the Texas House advanced House Bill 1927, a measure that would do away with license to carry laws.

When asked what the intent of the bill was, author Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, gave an example of a situation where two different women in two different neighborhoods went for a walk, and one of them could not get a license to carry and felt unsafe. 

“We’ve made it difficult for a woman to feel safer, when she is a law-abiding citizen walking on the street in her neighborhood, and I think that is worthy of bringing this bill to this body," Schaefer said. 

The El Paso delegation tried to put a stop to the bill. They are pushing for more safeguards and restrictions after a shooter in August 2019 killed 23 people at a Walmart in their West Texas city. Surrounded by colleagues, Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, criticized the Legislature for not doing enough after the massacre. 

“I’m so tired of the gun being worshiped like some golden calf and hearing all about rights, but nothing about responsibilities,” Moody said.  

House Democrats tried to delay passage of the bill by filing amendment after amendment that would make it harder for someone to carry a gun without a permit. One proposed change sought to help private property owners who do not want handguns on their premises and were concerned about asking those carrying them to leave.

“What would incentivize them to leave, because they can’t be prosecuted under this section?” asked Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston.  

Her amendment did not pass. 

Under current state law, Texans 21 years old and up are required to obtain a license to carry handguns either openly or concealed. That includes four to six hours of classroom training, and applicants must pass a written exam and a shooting proficiency demonstration. Many are ineligible due to criminal records or mental status. Enacting what is known as "constitutional carry" would mean that training is not necessary. 

“It's empowering for women to be able to feel that they can protect themselves," said Jill Glover, state Republican executive committeewoman for Senate District 12 and the chair of the Legislative Priorities Committee. "It's important that we own firearms, that we know how to protect ourselves, and that we train continuously."

Glover, who said she has been a gun owner for at least two decades, was one of many watching the debate from the House gallery and supporting the bill. She said from experience, she knows gun owners are responsible and get training on their own.

“We don't need a permit to exercise our freedom of speech, so why should we need a piece of paper a permit to exercise our Second Amendment rights?”" Glover said. "The framers of our Constitution knew that being able to bear firearms is a fundamental right, and so they specifically put that in our Bill of Rights. It is really important that we protect that and not put limitations on it."

The permitless carry of handguns was one of the legislative priorities the Republican Party of Texas voted for last year. 

While there were amendments from Democrats to add limitations to the bill, there was one that would have further expanded gun access. Rep. Jeff Cason, R-Bedford, put forth an amendment that would have lowered the age to legally carry a handgun with a permit from 21 years old to 18 years old. Schaefer did not get behind that amendment, which failed in a 121 to 12 vote.

Gun rights activists have an ally this session in House Speaker Dade Phelan, among other Republican leaders of Texas.

“We just keep expanding bills, and we're not putting our safety of our families and our children a priority,” Ross said.