Everything You Need to Know about Texas’ Open Carry Law

• By Sydny Shepard
• Jan 04, 2016

Open carry has always been a touchy subject in Texas, but starting January of 2016, citizens will be able to openly carry firearms legally in the state of Texas.

The new law, commonly referred to as 30.07 for its section in the Texas Penal Code, went into effect January 1. It lets licensed holders carry their handguns in plain view, as long as the gun is in a shoulder or belt holster.

Licensed holders will still be prohibited from carrying openly in many places, including bars, schools, or private businesses that chose to prohibit open carry, like grocery giants H-E-B and Whole Foods.

Most police officers believe they are ready for the new law after weeks of training for the new change.  Law enforcement believes they will see a few more calls about “suspicious activity” concerning people openly carrying their guns, it is a pretty interesting scenario that someone could walk up to a bank teller and be open-carrying.

To handle an increase in calls, Dallas police have created a signal specifically for monitoring and tracking open carry concerns from the public. They remind people to call 911 only if a gun holder is violating the open carry law. Violations include:

• Removal of the gun from its holster
• An intoxicated gun-holder
• Committing a crime
• Acting recklessly

Dallas police recognize that there will be a bit of a learning curve, an adjustment to the new law, but they also are quick to point out that Texas license holders have been legally carrying around guns for years – you just haven’t been able to see them.