STAFF REPORT
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AUSTIN – More than 650 new laws took effect Sept. 1, while some others have already been enacted.
The list of laws going on the books Wednesday include allowing people to carry handguns without a permit or training, requiring police to keep their body cameras on during investigations, fortifying the state’s power grid and extending hours for alcohol sales on Sundays.
CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY
As of Wednesday, Texans aged 21 and over can legally carry a handgun in public without a license or training.
Most attention has been over how the new law eliminated the requirement to obtain a license to carry for anyone not prohibited by other state and federal laws from possessing a gun.
But other provisions include making it a crime to carry a firearm while intoxicated, and allowing for records to be expunged for people previously convicted of illegally carrying a weapon before Sept. 1.
It also allows peace officers to disarm a citizen at any time if they believe it’s necessary to protect that person, officers or other individuals.
Other new gun laws allow guests to store firearms in their hotel rooms, legalize possession and manufacturing of firearm silencers, and make Texas a Second Amendment sanctuary state by shielding residents from new federal firearms restrictions.
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