Texas Gun Laws

Texas Gun Laws Explained

Texas gun laws can be confusing, a lot of people often confuse federal gun laws with state gun laws. We will cover some of the main gun laws in Texas as well as federal gun laws that apply in the state as well.

Purchasing From A Gun Shop

All gun shops and stores that sell guns to the public have a federal firearms license (FFL). This is the license required by law to sell firearms as a “business”. When you purchase a firearm from a dealer they will do a background check using the NICS system. Most of the time the background check in instant but sometimes it may take up to three days. If you have a Texas LTC you bypass the background check.

To purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer you must be 21 or older. To purchase a long gun “rifle” from a licensed dealer you must be 18 or older. Licensed dealers may only sell handgun to residents of the state they operate in, they can sell long guns to residents of other states. A licensed dealer may ship a handgun or long gun to another Licensed dealer in another state to complete the transfer. This is how dealers are able to sell firearms online to residents of other states. They ship it to a FFL in the buyers state to do the actual transfer.

Private Party Gun Sales

Texas allows private party gun sales. A private party sale is when someone occasionally sells one of their personal guns to another person. Texas law allows private party sales between two people who are 18 or older, this includes handguns and long guns. You do not need any type of license to sell one of your personal guns to another person nor are you required to do a background check.

Texas law does prohibit you from selling a firearm to a person who can not legally posses or own firearms like a convicted felon. Texas law does not require you to keep a record of the transaction either but we recommend doing a bill of sale and giving a copy to the buyer too. If the buyer refuses to sign a bill of sale that is probably a sign that you should not sell to them.

A sure way of knowing if the buyer can legally posses and own firearms is if the buyer has a Texas license to carry, ask them if they do. Although a background check is not required under Texas law for private sales if you unknowingly sell to a prohibited person who commits a crime with the gun you could face a civil suite. A bill of sale would help with this, it will show you made an effort to not sell to a prohibited person by verifying their ID and having them sign a bill of sale. As a seller, you should make every effort to ensure you are not transferring a firearm to a prohibited person.

How Many Guns Can I own In Texas?

Texas does not have any laws limiting how many guns you can own. As long as you can legally own and posses guns under federal and state law, Texas has no limit on the number of guns you can own. If you are interested in getting your Texas License To Carry to avoid all the gun buying hassles check out our online Texas LTC Class.