Shut out of power in Washington, Republicans are using their dominance in state houses across the country to oppose Democratic President Joe Biden’s agenda and appease the diehard supporters of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.

In Texas, Republican legislators are pushing for legislation that would allow citizens to carry a handgun without a permit or any training.

These actions have made for a stark contrast with the first few months of the Biden administration, which has pursued a sweeping liberal agenda on civil rights, police reform, gun control and voting rights.

Although Democrats control the White House and both chambers of Congress, Republicans dominate the nation’s statehouses. After a dismal showing by Democrats on the state level in the 2020 elections, Republicans now control the legislatures of 30 states and also hold the governor’s office in 23 of those states…

In Texas, the debate over “permitless carry”, which would residents to carry a handgun in public without a permit or training, is illustrative of the lurch to the right among state Republicans….

Elsewhere in the country, seven states in 2021 have enacted so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary laws prohibiting local officials from enforcing any new federal gun control regulation, bringing the total number of states with such legislation to 11, said Erich Pratt, senior vice-president at Gun Owners of America, a gun advocacy group…

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