Texas - TX Gun Laws

No state permit is required to buy any firearm in Texas, handgun or long gun. Every purchase from a licensed dealer runs through the standard federal background check (NICS via Form 4473), and there's no state waiting period. You must be 18 to buy a long gun and 21 to buy a handgun from a dealer, both federal minimums, not state-added requirements.

Texas does not require a background check for private firearm sales between Texas residents, no dealer, no state system, no waiting period. That said, knowingly selling to someone who isn't legally allowed to own a firearm is still a crime regardless of the sale being private.

On top of federal disqualifiers, Texas bars possession for anyone who:

- Has a felony conviction (rights aren't automatically restored; there's a 5-year post-release waiting period before possession is legal again, and even then only at the person's own home)

- Is subject to an active protective order in a family violence case

- Has been convicted of a Class A misdemeanor family violence offense

- Falls under the standard federal categories (unlawful drug user, dishonorable discharge, illegal immigration status, renounced citizenship, fugitive, etc.)

Legal without any permit for anyone 21 or older, as long as the handgun is carried in a holster. This has been the law since House Bill 1927 took effect in September 2021. Long guns can be openly carried by anyone legally eligible to possess one, with no license required beyond the federal purchase age minimums.

Also permitless since September 2021, for the same 21-and-older group as open carry, no license, no training requirement, no application. You can still apply for an optional License to Carry (LTC) even though it's not required, mainly useful for reciprocity when traveling to other states and for bypassing certain restricted-location rules that apply to unlicensed carriers.

For 18-20 year olds: a 2023 federal court ruling (Firearms Policy Coalition v. McCraw) struck down the 21+ age floor as unconstitutional. Texas didn't appeal, and DPS now accepts LTC applications from 18-20 year olds who otherwise qualify. Permitless carry specifically for that age group is still being sorted out in the courts, so if you're 18-20, getting the LTC is the cleanest path right now rather than relying on permitless carry alone.

Texas has allowed carrying a handgun in a vehicle without any license for decades, longer than permitless carry has existed, as long as you're not otherwise prohibited from possessing a firearm and not engaged in criminal activity. Loaded or unloaded, concealed or in plain view, in the vehicle is fine. Long guns can be transported the same way.

Even with permitless carry, certain places are off-limits regardless of license status: K-12 schools, polling places on election day, courts and court offices, racetracks, secured areas of airports, hospitals and nursing homes (with proper signage), correctional facilities, and amusement parks.

A notable Texas-specific rule: establishments that get 51% or more of their gross revenue from on-site alcohol sales must post a specific statutory sign (the "51% sign"), and carrying there is a separate, more serious offense than in an ordinary bar or restaurant that just happens to serve alcohol.

You can legally possess a handgun in Texas at 18 (Texas does not add a state-level floor above federal law for possession, only for licensed carry). Buying one from a dealer still requires being 21, a federal rule Texas doesn't override. Minors can generally possess firearms under parental supervision for lawful purposes like hunting or target shooting.

None. Texas has no magazine capacity limit and no assault weapons ban of any kind, state or local, and local governments are preempted from creating one (see State Preemption below).

Texas has one of the strongest self-defense frameworks in the country. There's no duty to retreat if you're legally present where you are and not engaged in criminal activity (Penal Code Sec. 9.32), and Castle Doctrine protections extend beyond just your home to your vehicle and your place of business (Sec. 9.31), broader than most states, which typically limit it to the home alone.

On top of the criminal-law protections, Texas also provides civil immunity: if your use of force is legally justified, you're immune from being sued for it (Civil Practice & Remedies Code Sec. 83.001).

Texas has strong, explicit state preemption (Local Government Code Sec. 229.001). Cities and counties cannot regulate the purchase, possession, transfer, transportation, or licensing of firearms beyond what state law already covers. Unlike states like Illinois or Massachusetts, you don't need to check whether your specific city has its own stricter rules, state law is the law everywhere in Texas.

- Texas Department of Public Safety, License to Carry program: dps.texas.gov/section/rsd/handgun-licensing

- Texas Penal Code (full text): statutes.capitol.texas.gov

- Texas State Law Library, Gun Laws guide: guides.sll.texas.gov/gun-laws

- ATF: for federal NFA questions, note Texas's "Made in Texas" suppressor law (House Bill 957) attempts to exempt Texas-manufactured suppressors from federal registration, but a Fifth Circuit ruling has cast real doubt on that workaround, in practice, standard federal NFA registration is still the safe assumption regardless of where a suppressor was made