Who can’t own a firearm

Clarified who can’t own a gun to include people who receive certain mental health care or diagnoses.

Gun stored in vehicle

Restricted public and private employers from prohibiting firearm possession by employees in vehicles in parking areas.

School marshal program

Created a school marshal program allowing armed workers in Texas schools. Former state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, filed the bill in response to the Sandy Hook shooting.

Villalba said gun laws passed in the past 10 years have largely been less restrictive because the Texas legislature is controlled by lawmakers, like himself, who want to defend the Second Amendment.

Open carry

Allowed license-holders to carry handguns openly in a hip or shoulder holster, changing the law requiring that such weapons be concealed. This bill was signed into law in 2015.

The law drew opposition from some law enforcement officials who said that in an emergency situation, open carry makes it difficult to tell the difference between a "good guy with a gun" and a criminal.

The bill's author, Rep. James White, R-Hillister, said open carry wasn't a major departure from the previous concealed carry law.

Campus carry

Required the state’s public universities to give license-holders the right to carry a concealed weapon in dorms, classrooms and campus buildings.

Bulletproof vests

Created and funded a bulletproof vest grant program to outfit approximately 50,000 Texas officers with vests that can withstand rounds from high-caliber firearms. The Dallas police shooting spurred the bill.

Threats to police

Made it a hate crime to attack police officers and judges, a bill inspired in part by the Dallas police shooting.

School safety plans

Instructed schools districts to implement emergency plans. This bill included recommendations outlined by Gov. Greg Abbott after the Santa Fe High School shooting.

School marshal firearms cap

Removed the cap on the number of school marshals who can carry firearms at schools. Gov. Greg Abbott recommended this measure in his safety plan after the Santa Fe High School shooting.

Weapons in places of worship

Clarified the right of licensed handgun owners to legally carry their weapons in places of worship. Many lawmakers said such a measure was needed after the 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs.

Permitless carry

Allows anyone 21 years or older to carry a handgun in public without need for a permit or training. Before this law went into effect, Texans were mostly required to have a license to carry handguns, regardless of whether they are open or concealed.

To attain a license, applicants were previously required to submit fingerprints, complete four to six hours of training, and pass a written exam and shooting proficiency test.

This expansion of gun rights was so divisive, Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it. It ended up passing with several Democrats voting for it.

Gun safety bills

The Legislature passed only two of the key gun safety bills written by Midland-Odessa and El Paso lawmakers — one to create a statewide active shooter alert system and another measure called the “lie and try” bill that makes it a state crime to lie on a background check form to illegally buy a gun.

“We have accomplished something in an environment where we have never passed gun safety measures,” said state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, of the “lie and try” bill.

“Second Amendment sanctuary state”

The “Second Amendment sanctuary state” law was branded as a way to shield Texas from gun laws that could potentially be passed at the federal level.

The push to steel Texas against new federal rules comes as gun violence nationwide has sparked Democrats to call for an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks, among other changes.

Experts say it's largely a symbolic gesture.

Gun rights expanded

Lawmakers also doubled down on gun rights when they approved bills that would eliminate the governor’s power to ban gun sales during an emergency, prohibit big state and local government contracts “that discriminate against the firearm or ammunition industries” and make it legal for gun owners to bring weapons into their hotel rooms.

The Legislature also passed a measure to allow school boards to let school marshals carry guns on their person instead of being required to keep them locked up, among other gun rights proposals.