Sometimes a red state will loosen its gun laws in response to a mass shooting. Indeed, according to a study released yesterday, that’s one of the most reliable responses to mass shootings here in the U.S.
If you were reading headlines over the weekend, though, you might get a sense that Texas acted with record speed this time around. Slate: “Texas Loosens Gun Laws One Day After Mass Shooting in the State.” Vibe: “Texas Loosens Its Gun Laws Hours After The Odessa Shooting.” Houston Chronicle: “On day after Midland shooting, Texas loosens gun laws.”
The problem is that these bills were signed months ago. That they went into effect September 1 is just a coincidence.
Incidentally, the National Rifle Association has a rundown of the new policies. Most of them are pretty minor: School districts can no longer regulate the way that firearms are stored inside locked vehicles (they were already prevented from banning guns in such vehicles entirely), foster parents can lock up their guns and ammo together in the same place as long as the guns also have trigger locks (which still seems too restrictive to me), and concealed weapons will be allowed in places of worship unless the owner decides otherwise, for example.
I’m not crazy about a couple of the rules pertaining to private property, though. Landlords and condo buildings can no longer prohibit tenants from having or carrying guns. In addition, gun-carriers who ignore businesses’ “no firearms” signs can no longer be punished for trespassing, so long as they depart promptly when asked to leave. I’d prefer the government to keep its hands off both my gun rights and my property rights.