Sue Ogrocki/AP
Donald Dahl, who’s been paying National Rifle Association dues since 1967, shuffled through the rotunda away from the House chamber at the Texas Capitol on April 15. That day was a long time coming for the mechanic and self-described “heavy-duty activist” from Round Rock, the Austin suburb. He had spent fifteen years hounding state lawmakers to expand gun rights. Like many grassroots Second Amendment enthusiasts, he couldn’t understand why Texas wasn’t one of the eighteen states that allowed citizens to carry a gun without a license or training. But finally, after years of campaigning on behalf of challengers to “wishy-washy” Republicans who never seemed to take up his cause, Dahl was relieved when the Texas House passed “permitless carry” on a 84–56 vote.