Sep 1, 2019
New Texas laws loosening gun restrictions officially go into effect
Police cars and tape block off a crime scene nearby to where a gunman was shot and killed at Cinergy Odessa movie theater. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Getty Images
A slate of new Texas laws intended to loosen gun restrictions went into effect on Sunday, CNN reports.
Why it matters: The new measures, passed by Republican state legislators in the last session, became law 1 day after Texas' 2nd mass shooting in August. Texas has had 4 of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in U.S. modern history, according to CNN. The laws will make it easier to carry firearms in several places, including schools and churches.
What's changing:
- Schools districts won't be able to restrict licensed gun owners, including employees, from keeping a firearm or ammunition in a locked vehicle on school property as long as it isn't in plain sight.
- Restrictions on how many armed school marshals a school may appoint will be loosened.
- Licensed handgun owners will be allowed to carry their weapons in places of worship such as churches and synagogues.
- Some foster homes will be able to store firearms and ammunition as long as they're in a safe and locked location.
- Landlords and homeowners will no longer be able to keep residents from "lawfully possessing, carrying, transporting, or storing a firearm, any part of a firearm, or firearm ammunition in the applicable property."
- Residents will no longer be charged with a crime for carrying a handgun when evacuating from a disaster area.