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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
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.
Gun control