Texas Passes New Law That Allows Permit Holders To Open Carry In a move that directly defies President Obamas efforts to enact stricter control laws, Texas just ruled that permit holders will be allowed to open carry. The decision makes the Lone Star State the 45th to allow this. Handguns have been banned in public since the Civil War, although Texas already allows residents to carry rifles and shotguns. That changed at the beginning of the year, and positioned Texas as the largest state to sanction open carry. California, Florida, Illinois, New York and South Carolina are still banning this right for gun owners. Our ultimate goal will always be constitutional carry, activists on Open Carry Texas wrote. If you can legally own and purchase a gun, you should be able to legally carry that gun without begging for government permission in the form of a license and 2nd Amendment tax. In 2014, Texas had nearly 826,000 concealed license holders, making them among the nations highest gun owner states. That number has likely grown over the past year. The new measure will require gun owners to obtain the same license concealed weapons holders have, which will require them to be at least 21 years old, have clean criminal and psychological records, complete a training course, and pass a shooting test. What do you think of the new measure? Do you support Texas decision? 