"The Senate on a voice vote Monday passed House Bill 1038, which would cut in half the renewal fee for seniors' concealed handgun permits. That means the current fee of $70 for a renewal would be $35 for anyone at least 60 years old.

Concealed handgun permits, which the state started issuing in 1995, last four years. The fee for an initial permit--which is set by the Department of Public Safety--is $140, and under current law, seniors and indigent Texans already got a 50 percent break on an initial permit.

But the law does not provide the same break for renewals. HB 1038, sponsored by state Rep. Carl Isett, R-Lubbock, and state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, does not address the fee for indigent people."

"Rep. Linda Johnson (R-Cabarrus) is sponsoring a bill to give domestic violence victims easier access to concealed handgun permits. It's designed to allow victims to protect themselves in an emergency situation.

But Grass Roots North Carolina/Forum for Firearms Education, a gun rights group that helped bring the bill to life, now says recent changes have made it too weak."