Texas lawmakers approved a bill Monday that would allow residents to carry handguns without licenses, paving the way for Gov. Greg Abbott to sign into law a measure that its conservative backers have hailed as historic. Abbott, a Republican, said last month that he would support the so-called permitless carry bill, which would apply to people 21 and older beginning later this year. The bill's authors have said the law is necessary because obtaining a license to carry a handgun in the state — which requires training, a written test, fingerprints and other measures — "infringes" on Texans' Second Amendment rights.