News Desk: Texas legislators have passed a bill which would allow most people to carry concealed handguns without a permit.
Current state rules require those carrying handguns to have a licence, training and background checks.
But Texas's Republican-run senate has voted to drop the restrictions, despite warnings from gun control groups that the measures could put lives at risk.
The bill has been sent to Governor Greg Abbott, who has said he will sign it into law.
Texas has some of the loosest gun laws in the US and already allows rifles to be carried in public without a licence.
The new measure would allow anyone aged 21 or older to carry a handgun unless they have past criminal convictions or legal restrictions on them.
