The new open carry law went into effect in Texas Jan. 1. Licensed gun owners can now bring their firearms into 10 psychiatric hospitals operated by the state of Texas.
Guns previously had been prohibited from the state-run facilities, The Austin American-Statesman reported. However, two news laws have changed that policy. One of the laws allows for the open-carry of firearms by licensed gun owners. The second fines state agencies for wrongly displaying "no gun" signs.
The change means delivery people, visitors and more will be able to bring weapons into the facility.
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"While licensed visitors are legally permitted to carry on our hospital campuses, our patients are being actively treated for psychiatric conditions, and generally it's best not to expose them to weapons of any kind," Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services, told the American-Statesman.
The new open carry law went into effect in Texas Jan. 1. It allows licensed gun owners to keep their weapons in a holster outside of their clothing.
Gun rights supporters said the new open-carry law isn't to blame for the change but that they did not foresee it impacting the state's psychiatric hospitals, which aren't specifically excluded in the new law.