<P> There is no legal statute specifically prohibiting the carry of a firearm other than a handgun (pre-1899 black powder weapons, and replicas of such, are not legally firearms in Texas). However, if the firearm is displayed in a manner "calculated to cause alarm," then it is "disorderly conduct". Open carry of a handgun in public had long been illegal in Texas, except when the carrier was on property he / she owned or had lawful control over, was legally hunting, or was participating in some gun - related public event such as a gun show . However, the 2015 Texas Legislature passed a bill to allow concealed handgun permit holders to begin carrying handguns openly . The bill was signed into law on June 13, 2015, and took effect on January 1, 2016 . A License to Carry (LTC) is still required to carry a handgun openly or concealed in public . </P> <P> The Texas handgun carry permit was previously called a "Concealed Handgun License" or CHL . This has changed on Jan 1 . 2016 to LTC "License To Carry" and at the same time the laws changed to include "Open Carry". Permits are issued on a non-discretionary ("shall - issue") basis to all eligible, qualified applicants . Texas has full reciprocity agreements with 30 states, not including Vermont (which is an "unrestricted" state and neither issues nor requires permits), most of these having some residency restrictions (the holder must either be a resident of Texas or a non-resident of the reciprocal state for the Texas license to be valid in that state). Texas recognizes an additional 11 states' concealed - carry permits unilaterally; those states do not recognize Texas' own permit as valid within their jurisdiction, usually due to some lesser requirement of the Texas permit compared to their own . </P> <P> The handgun licensing law sets out the eligibility criteria that must be met . For example, an applicant must be eligible to purchase a handgun under the State and Federal laws (including an age restriction of 21), however an exception is granted to active members of the military who are age 18 and over . Additionally, a number of factors may make a person ineligible (temporarily or permanently) to obtain a license, including: </P> <Ul> <Li> felony convictions (permanent) and Class A or B misdemeanors (5 years, permanent in cases of domestic violence), including charges that resulted in probation or deferred adjudication; </Li> <Li> pending criminal charges (indefinite until resolved); </Li> <Li> chemical or alcohol dependency (defined as 2 convictions for substance - related offenses in a 10 - year period; 10 - year ban from the date of the first conviction); </Li> <Li> certain types of psychological diagnoses (indefinite until the condition is testified by a medical professional as being in remission); </Li> <Li> protective or restraining orders (indefinite until rescinded); or </Li> <Li> defaults on taxes, student loans, child support and / or other governmental fees (indefinite until resolved). </Li> </Ul>

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