Who Can Carry a Gun in Texas
Texas is a permitless carry state. Since September 1, 2021, an adult 21 or older who is not barred from owning a gun may carry a handgun openly in a holster or hidden, with no license, under HB 1927. The 2nd Amendment explainer covers how courts judge gun laws nationally; this page covers the Texas rules.
Few permits, many places still off-limits. Texas dropped the license requirement but kept gun bans at schools, polling places, courts and other sites.
Key facts
- Texans 21 and older may carry a handgun with no license since 2021 (Texas State Law Library).
- Guns stay banned at schools, polling places, courts and other sites in Penal Code 46.03.
- In 2024, 4,389 people died from gunshots in Texas, the most of any state (CDC).
- Texas has no red flag law and made enforcing one a felony in 2025.
If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Putting distance between a person in crisis and a gun saves lives. If someone with a gun is threatening you, call 911. For help with abuse and a safety plan, the National Domestic Violence Hotline answers at 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
Gun Rights After a Felony Conviction
Texas and federal law set different rules for people with a felony conviction. Under Texas Penal Code 46.04, a person convicted of a felony may not have a gun anywhere until five years after release from prison or from parole or probation, whichever comes later. After that, Texas allows a gun only at the home where the person lives, and breaking either rule is a third-degree felony (Texas Penal Code 46.04).
Federal law bars anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than a year in prison from having a gun, with no waiting period (18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1)). That bar ends only if the conviction is pardoned, expunged or set aside, or the person’s civil rights are restored, unless the order says the person still may not have guns (18 U.S.C. 921(a)(20)). Because both laws apply in Texas, the five-year Texas rule does not make keeping a gun at home legal under federal law, so a lawyer should check which rule applies.
Carrying a Gun by Situation
The rules depend on where you are and who you are. Open the situation closest to yours. This is general information, not legal advice; the Texas State Law Library cannot tell you whether you may carry, and neither can we.
Texas gun rules, by situation
Someone who abuses me has guns
- If you are in danger now, call 911.
- Ask a court for a protective order. A person under a Texas protective order may not possess a gun, and federal law bars it too.
- Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 1-800-799-7233, to plan for safety.
Texas Penal Code 46.04(c) and federal law bar gun possession while a protective order is in effect; the Supreme Court upheld the federal ban in United States v. Rahimi (2024).
Carrying in my car
- If you are 21 or older and not barred from owning a gun, you may keep a handgun in your car, loaded, open or hidden.
- If police stop you, keep your hands visible and tell the officer you have a gun; a License to Carry holder must show the license when asked for ID.
Texas law has long allowed carrying in your own vehicle; HB 1927 removed the license requirement for adults 21 and older.
Carrying at work
- Your employer may ban guns inside the workplace.
- Texas law generally bars employers from forbidding you to keep a lawful gun locked in your own car in the employee parking lot, with some exceptions.
Texas Labor Code 52.061, the parking lot law.
Carrying on a college campus
- License to Carry holders may carry concealed in most buildings at public universities, not openly.
- Each campus posts its own gun-free zones; check before you go.
- Guns are banned at K-12 schools and school events.
Campus carry took effect in 2016 at four-year universities and 2017 at community colleges.
Traveling to another state
- Look up the other state’s law first; some honor the Texas license and some ban carrying without their own permit.
- When passing through, keep the gun unloaded and locked away from the passenger area.
Your right to carry stops at the state line; the federal safe-passage law protects travel only when the gun is unloaded and inaccessible.
Where Guns Are Banned in Texas
Permitless carry did not make every place open to guns. Penal Code 46.03 bans weapons at a list of places for everyone, license or not, and private businesses can bar guns by posting notice.
Among the places Texas law bars guns:
- Schools, school buses and school-sponsored events
- Polling places on election day and during early voting
- Courts and court offices
- Racetracks and the secured area of an airport
- Bars and restaurants that make more than half their money from alcohol served on site, marked by a red “51%” sign
- High school, college and professional sporting events
- Prisons and jails, and within 1,000 feet of an execution on the day it happens
Private property owners decide for their own premises. Businesses post signs under Penal Code 30.06 (concealed carry) and 30.07 (open carry) to bar license holders, and a clear notice bars people carrying without a license. Our preemption explainer explains why Texas cities cannot pass their own gun rules.
Texas Gun Age Rules
The ages that matter are set partly by federal law and partly by Texas. Federal law governs what a licensed dealer may sell; Texas law governs who may carry and who may be sold a gun at all.
What you can do at what age in Texas
Source: Texas State Law Library; Texas Penal Code 46.06; federal dealer rules (18 U.S.C. 922(b)(1))
After the Uvalde shooting in May 2022, where the gunman legally bought two rifles days after his 18th birthday, a bill to raise the age to buy semiautomatic rifles to 21 cleared a Texas House committee in 2023 but never reached a floor vote. The age for buying a rifle from a dealer in Texas is still 18.
Texas Has No Red Flag Law
Texas went the other way on red flag laws. 23 states let a judge temporarily remove guns from someone shown to be a danger, but Texas is one of 6 states that ban such orders, and a 2025 law made enforcing one a felony, according to The Trace. Our red flag laws explainer covers the evidence on how the orders work where they exist.
A Texan worried about a family member in crisis can still call 988, and police can take someone for an emergency mental health evaluation. What Texas does not have is a court order that removes the person’s guns for a set time.
Gun Deaths in Texas
More people die from gunshots in Texas than in any other state, though its death rate sits near the middle. Texas had 4,389 firearm deaths in 2024, about 12 a day, ranking number 1 in total deaths. Its age-adjusted rate of 13.9 deaths per 100,000 people ranks 26 of 50, close to the median state’s 14.1.
- 4,389
- firearm deaths in Texas in 2024, the most of any state
- 13.9
- deaths per 100,000 people, age-adjusted
- 26 of 50
- Texas rank by death rate, highest first
Texas leads the country in the number of gun deaths because it is so large. The chart shows the six states with the most firearm deaths in 2024.
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Texas | 4389 |
| Florida | 3191 |
| California | 2853 |
| Georgia | 1985 |
| North Carolina | 1835 |
| Ohio | 1745 |
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, Stats of the States, 2024 data. Deaths of all intents.
These counts include suicides, homicides, accidents and police shootings. Nationally, suicides are the majority of gun deaths, as our 2nd Amendment explainer shows from CDC data, which is why the crisis line matters on a page about carrying guns.
How Texas Gun Laws Changed
Texas moved from licensed concealed carry in 1995 to open and campus carry in 2016 and permitless carry in 2021. After the Uvalde shooting in 2022, it added armed school officers in 2023 but kept the rifle age at 18, and in 2025 it outlawed red flag orders.
- Concealed handgun licenses begin Texas lets adults who pass training and a background check carry a concealed handgun.
- Open carry and campus carry License holders may carry openly in a holster, and concealed on public university campuses.
- Permitless carry (HB 1927) Adults 21 and older who are not barred from owning a gun may carry a handgun without a license, open or concealed.
- Uvalde A gunman who had legally bought two rifles days after turning 18 killed 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary on May 24.
- School police rule, no age change HB 3 requires an armed officer at every public school campus. A bill to raise the rifle-buying age to 21 cleared a House committee but never got a floor vote.
- Red flag orders outlawed Texas made enforcing an extreme risk protection order a felony, according to The Trace.
: 1995: Concealed handgun licenses begin (Texas lets adults who pass training and a background check carry a concealed handgun.). 2016: Open carry and campus carry (License holders may carry openly in a holster, and concealed on public university campuses.). 2021: Permitless carry (HB 1927) (Adults 21 and older who are not barred from owning a gun may carry a handgun without a license, open or concealed.). 2022: Uvalde (A gunman who had legally bought two rifles days after turning 18 killed 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary on May 24.). 2023: School police rule, no age change (HB 3 requires an armed officer at every public school campus. A bill to raise the rifle-buying age to 21 cleared a House committee but never got a floor vote.). 2025: Red flag orders outlawed (Texas made enforcing an extreme risk protection order a felony, according to The Trace.).
1995: Texas began issuing concealed handgun licenses to adults who passed training and a background check.
2016: License holders gained the right to carry openly in a holster and to carry concealed on public university campuses.
2021: HB 1927 let adults 21 and older carry a handgun with no license, effective September 1.
2022: A gunman who had legally bought two rifles days after turning 18 killed 19 children and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde on May 24.
2023: HB 3 required an armed officer at every public school campus, and a bill to raise the rifle-buying age to 21 died without a floor vote.
2025: Texas made enforcing a red flag order a felony, according to The Trace.
Where Texas Gun Laws Stand
Texas gun laws and rulings
As of September 27, 2026
- Permitless carry (HB 1927) Law
In effect since September 1, 2021, for adults 21 and older not barred from owning a gun. (source)
- Carry by 18-to-20-year-olds Final ruling, age alone
Firearms Policy Coalition v. McCraw (2022) bars prosecuting them for carrying solely because of age; DPS stopped age-based license denials. (source)
- Armed officer at every school (HB 3) Law
Passed in 2023 after Uvalde.
- Raise the rifle-buying age to 21 Ended
Cleared a House committee in 2023 and died without a floor vote.
- Ban on red flag orders Law
A 2025 law makes enforcing an order a felony. (source)
Source: Texas State Law Library; The Trace
The Honest Disagreement
Supporters of permitless carry say it restores a constitutional right that law-abiding Texans should not need the state’s permission to use, and that the license fee and training requirement kept poorer Texans from carrying for protection. The NRA and Gun Owners of America backed HB 1927 on those grounds.
Opponents, including many Texas police chiefs, argued that dropping training and background checks for carrying would put more guns in tense encounters and make it harder for officers to tell who is armed legally. Research on permitless carry is still young and mixed. The honest reading is that Texas made a values choice about who needs permission to carry, and the evidence on its safety effects is not settled.
Common questions
Is Texas an open carry state?
Yes. Since September 1, 2021, anyone 21 or older who is not barred from owning a gun may carry a handgun openly in Texas without a license, as long as it is in a holster. Long guns such as rifles may also be carried openly, but not in a way meant to alarm people.
Do you need a license to carry a gun in Texas?
No, if you are 21 or older and not barred from owning a gun. A License to Carry is optional. It still helps: it lets you skip the background check when buying from a dealer, carry in some places permitless carriers cannot, and carry in states that honor the Texas license.
How old do you have to be to buy a gun in Texas?
Licensed dealers sell rifles and shotguns to buyers 18 and older and handguns to buyers 21 and older under federal law. Texas law bars selling any gun to someone under 18. A private seller in Texas may sell a handgun to an adult 18 or older.
Can I carry a handgun in my car in Texas at 18?
Generally yes, if you can legally possess the handgun. The Texas State Law Library says a 2022 federal ruling, Firearms Policy Coalition v. McCraw, bars Texas from prosecuting 18-to-20-year-olds for carrying a handgun solely because of their age. Places where guns are banned still apply.
How can a felon get gun rights back in Texas?
Texas law lets a person with a felony conviction keep a gun only at home, starting five years after release from prison or supervision, whichever is later. Federal law still bars a person with a felony conviction from having a gun unless the conviction is pardoned, expunged or set aside, or civil rights are restored. A lawyer can check which rule applies to you.
What You Can Do
- Save 988 in your phone and learn the warning signs of suicide; if someone you love is in crisis, ask them directly and offer to hold their guns for a while.
- Store guns locked and unloaded, with ammunition stored separately, especially in homes with children or teenagers.
- If you carry, get training anyway. DPS lists License to Carry courses, and a license adds legal benefits.
- Ask your state legislators where they stand on raising the rifle-buying age and on red flag orders; the Legislature next meets in January 2027. Our letter-writing guide shows how.