As of January 1, Texas is allowing anyone with a concealed handgun license to be able to carry an open handgun on the hip or shoulder. It is prohibited on the campus of a public or private college, and on streets, sidewalks and parking areas of colleges.

“I think it’s a constitutional right, it’s really only fair,” high school campus officer Joey King said. “What you’ll see is responsible gun owners acting responsibly.”

It is illegal to carry any handgun, in the open or concealed, in schools, stores with posted no carry signs, religious places of worship, hospitals and nursing homes,  and on any public transportation.

“I think the new open carry laws open a lot more platforms for guns to be misused,” sophomore Anthony Wyatt said. “I definitely don’t think it’s a step in the right direction for the government to take.”

Texas is now one of the 45 states that allows open carry. While a handgun license is needed in Texas, only eleven other states require a permit, with the other 33 allowing open carry without one.

“I think that it has no negative effect when honest citizens carry firearms,” criminal justice teacher Jon Johnson said. “It can have a positive effect, in not only protecting yourself or your family, but society in general if there’s a crime being committed and someone in the crowd can defend themselves or others.”