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Open carry: What you need to know

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, starting Friday, openly carrying firearms will be legal in Texas.

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Charlotte Huffman, WFAA11:22 p.m. CST December 29, 2015

Openly carrying firearms in Texas becomes legal on January 1, 2016.(Photo: WFAA)

DALLAS —Open carry. It’s a touchy subject in Texas.

“I’m for it," said John Pringle. "I think the bad guys all have guns, so we should arm ourselves, too."

Nathan Reddy disagrees. “I’m not a big fan of it," he said. "It is scary seeing people carry it out in the open."

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, starting Friday, openly carrying firearms will be legal in Texas.

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

WFAA

Inside Texas Politics: Two views on open carry

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

WFAA contacted nearly a dozen local police departments to ask how they are preparing for the change. Almost all responded saying they are ready, and their officers have been trained on the change in law.

The new law goes into effect on January 1.

“We expect to have a little bit of an uptick in the calls,” said Dallas Police Department Deputy Chief Jeff Cotner.

To handle an increase in calls, Dallas police have created a signal specifically for monitoring and tracking open carry concerns from the public.

“I think it is an interesting scenario that someone could walk into a bank and walk up to a teller and be open-carrying,” Cotner said.

The City of Dallas reminds people to call 911 only if a gun holder is violating the open carry law. Violations can include:

  • removal of the gun from its holster
  • an intoxicated gun-holder
  • committing a crime
  • acting recklessly

“There is going to be a learning curve, an adjustment, a transition,” Cotner said.

But he points out that in Texas, license holders have been legally carrying their weapons around for years. The only difference now? You’ll be able to see those guns.

“[License holders] have been vetted. [They’re] required to go through a regimented training process that teaches them how to properly carry their weapon, how to interact with the public with their weapon and law enforcement," Cotner said. "So I don't anticipate many problems. I anticipate a smooth transition.”

Read or Share this story: http://on.wfaa.com/1YRRleK

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]]>Open carry: What you need to know
Share This Story!

Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about

Open carry: What you need to know

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, starting Friday, openly carrying firearms will be legal in Texas.

Try Another

Audio CAPTCHA

Image CAPTCHA

Help

]]>

{# #}

CancelSend

Sent!

A link has been sent to your friend's email address.

Posted!

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Charlotte Huffman, WFAA11:22 p.m. CST December 29, 2015

Openly carrying firearms in Texas becomes legal on January 1, 2016.(Photo: WFAA)

DALLAS —Open carry. It’s a touchy subject in Texas.

“I’m for it," said John Pringle. "I think the bad guys all have guns, so we should arm ourselves, too."

Nathan Reddy disagrees. “I’m not a big fan of it," he said. "It is scary seeing people carry it out in the open."

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, starting Friday, openly carrying firearms will be legal in Texas.

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

WFAA

Inside Texas Politics: Two views on open carry

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

WFAA contacted nearly a dozen local police departments to ask how they are preparing for the change. Almost all responded saying they are ready, and their officers have been trained on the change in law.

The new law goes into effect on January 1.

“We expect to have a little bit of an uptick in the calls,” said Dallas Police Department Deputy Chief Jeff Cotner.

To handle an increase in calls, Dallas police have created a signal specifically for monitoring and tracking open carry concerns from the public.

“I think it is an interesting scenario that someone could walk into a bank and walk up to a teller and be open-carrying,” Cotner said.

The City of Dallas reminds people to call 911 only if a gun holder is violating the open carry law. Violations can include:

  • removal of the gun from its holster
  • an intoxicated gun-holder
  • committing a crime
  • acting recklessly

“There is going to be a learning curve, an adjustment, a transition,” Cotner said.

But he points out that in Texas, license holders have been legally carrying their weapons around for years. The only difference now? You’ll be able to see those guns.

“[License holders] have been vetted. [They’re] required to go through a regimented training process that teaches them how to properly carry their weapon, how to interact with the public with their weapon and law enforcement," Cotner said. "So I don't anticipate many problems. I anticipate a smooth transition.”

Read or Share this story: http://on.wfaa.com/1YRRleK

TOP VIDEOS

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