CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Until recently, most Texans had to wait until their 21st birthday to get a license to carry a concealed handgun -- however, that has now changed.
A federal judge has decided that the state’s age restrictions are unconstitutional -- meaning that 18-year-olds may now apply for a concealed carry license.
3NEWS spoke with Houston based attorney Emily Taylor, who focuses on gun law cases. She gave clarity about what the ruling really means.
"Really, what this order out of the Northern District has done, is to put handguns carried on the person on the table, and that’s going to be allowed whether they are carried openly in a holster or concealed," she said.
Taylor said that in Texas, 18-year-olds were already able to legally carry a gun with a long barrel, like a rifle or a shotgun -- without a license.
And with this ruling, many of them will now be able to carry handguns, including revolvers and semi-automatic pistols.
The state initially appealed Judge Mark Pittman’s August 2022 decision, but then withdrew the objection in December.
Taylor said that since then, her office has been receiving calls from adults under the age of 21 who are interested in getting a license.
“They want to know what they're doing," she said. "They want to know what the laws are and, more importantly, if you get pulled over or you get stopped by law enforcement and they disarm you, you want to be able to hand them that license to show, ‘Hey, look, I've passed a background check. I'm a good guy.’”
A look at the Texas Department of Public Safety website shows that they will no longer enforce the age limits for carrying a handgun.
Of course, there are still restrictions for those with a criminal history.
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