State Sen. Bob Hall addresses new gun laws

In 2016, for the first time in almost 20 years, two new laws restoring some of our God given rights of self-defense will become effective. The 84th legislature passed and Governor Abbott signed into law Texas House Bill 910, which will allow for the open carry of handguns and Texas Senate Bill 11 which will allow for limited carry of concealed handguns on college campuses.

In the middle of all the mis-information and controversy surrounding changes in the Texas law legalizing open carry, it is easy for the facts and truth of the scope of these two bills to get lost.  After the hard work of many legislators in the Texas House and Senate, who acted on the will of the people of Texas, I want to make sure everyone understands the facts about the individual rights and responsibilities encompassed within the changes to carrying handguns in Texas by these two new laws.

First, I will address some of the misconceptions associated with these two bills.  Neither of the bills make any changes to the current law governing eligibility to carry a handgun in a public place. No one may carry (open or concealed) unless they have a Concealed Handgun License (CHL).  Current holders of a CHL will be eligible to choose to either open or conceal carry.  If the gun is partially or wholly visible, the handgun must be in a shoulder or belt holster.  Anyone who does not currently have a CHL and wants to open carry must first obtain a CHL. Neither of the two new laws reduce the requirements for eligibility or the process to obtain a license; background checks, training, fingerprints, etc. remain the same for everyone.

Each bill stands on its own merit and each addresses separate rights. I will describe each bill separately. 

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