Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday signed a bill that allows for adults to carry a firearm without a permit.
The bill is one of seven the governor passed to expand gun laws in the state; it allows for any Texan 21 years and older to carry a firearm if they are not barred from doing so. The Texas Department of Public Safety will be required to offer free online gun safety courses.
The law also expands on who is barred from carrying a firearm, increases penalties for those carrying illegally, and grants probable cause for police to question people solely for carrying a firearm. Illegal carriers include: individuals under 21 years, felons, non-citizens or people who renounce their US citizenship, people under investigation or indictment, individuals convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year in prison (regardless of whether they were ever sentenced or served time in prison), fugitives, unlawful users of controlled substances, individuals committed to a mental institution, individuals subject to a restraining order related to an intimate partner or child, and individuals convicted of domestic violence.
The law is set to go into effect on September 1. Texas will join 20 other states with similar concealed carry laws.
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