SAN ANTONIO — Just a day after an active shooter in Odessa and Midland, Texas shot more than 20 people, leaving 5 dead, new laws are set to take effect in the Lone Star State.
In the 2019 session, the Texas Legislature passed 10 pro-Second Amendment bills. The laws take effect Sunday, September 1.
These are among the new laws that will take effect:
- Texans who legally own firearms will be able to carry them in public after a state or natural disaster is declared. The law came after complaints Harvey victims weren't able to take their guns during mandatory evacuations.
- Licensed handgun holders can legally carry in places of worship unless given “effective oral or written notice” or warning that weapons were banned from the property. Places of worship will still be able to ban weapons.
- Landlords won't be able to ban renters from having guns in their apartments.
- School districts can no longer ban the possession of firearms that are stored in locked vehicles.
The Lone Star State already had some of the most lenient gun laws in the country:
- No permit or background checks are required for private gun sales, including gun shows.
- You don't need a permit to buy handguns in Texas.
- At 18 years old, you're allowed to buy a long arm, and at 21 years old you can by a handgun.
- If you buy a gun from a store, you must pass a background check.
- Texas allows for concealed carry and is considered a "shall issue" state. That means law enforcement can't stop you from getting a permit if you meet the requirements.
- Concealed carry permits are issued by the Department of Public Safety. To get one, applicants must take a 4 to 6 hours training course, pass a written exam and a shooting proficiency demo.
- If you're a convicted felon, have misdemeanor convictions, pending criminal charges, chemical or alcohol addiction, certain psychological diagnoses or restraining orders you won't be able to obtain that concealed carry license.
- In Texas, gun owners have no limit for handgun capacity and no mandatory waiting period for handgun purchases.
Another new law set to take effect Sunday allows Texans to carry brass knuckles, but that doesn't mean you won't get in trouble for using them.
On Saturday, police said a white man in his 30s shot a DPS trooper and more than 20 other people before law enforcement shot and killed him.
