New Firearm Regulations For 2016: TX Open Carry, Tough CA Gun Law, Seattle Gun And Ammo Tax

New gun laws for 2016 in four different states are described as highlighting “diverging” attitudes among Americans in Texas, California, Virginia, and Seattle, according to ABC and Forbes.

In Texas, new gun laws coming into effect in 2016 will allow licensed firearm owners to openly carry guns in holsters in public places. There are said to be 925,726 Texans who possess concealed carry gun licenses that the new law will affect, as reported by The Inquisitr.

Certain locations will remain gun-free as a result of provisions in the law, which was signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott: firearms are not permitted to be carried in jails, hospitals, and establishments where alcohol comprises the majority of revenue.

Individual business owners are said to retain the right to ban guns from their establishments by displaying a sign, with a statement meeting the requirements of the new gun law, in both English and Spanish. Whole Foods has issued a complete ban on guns in its stores, while Whataburger, Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen, and H-E-B, a grocery store, will reportedly allow customers to carry concealed guns, but prohibit open carry. United Bank of El Paso del Norte, having seemingly fully embraced the new gun law, will allow customers the freedom to both conceal firearms and carry them openly in their branches.

In California, instead of becoming less restrictive, gun laws are becoming more restrictive, according to CBS. New restrictions include a mandate that Airsoft, pellet, and BB guns be colored orange, pink, or red at all times when seen in public, so that they cannot be mistaken for real guns, as was the case in the tragic 2014-shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland. Police shot Rice believing that he was waving around a real handgun, when in fact it was a replica, as reported by The Inquisitr. Additionally, there was the 2013-shooting of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa, as reported by CBS.

Also new in California for 2016 are tough new measures giving police the authority to seize legally registered guns for a period of 21 days at the request of family members and close friends who believe a gun owner may be a danger to themselves or others with a “temporary gun violence restraining order.”

In 2014, Elliot Rodger went on a rampage that killed six people and injured 14 in Isla Vista, California. The 22-year-old’s parents were reported to have attempted to warn police that they harbored concerns about their son’s “mental health.” The Santa Barbara police had no legal authority to search Rodger’s apartment, which could have potentially averted the disaster.

It was previously illegal to carry firearms within 1,000 feet of schools and colleges in California, with an exemption in place for those who held concealed carry permits. As of January 1, 2016, the exemption for concealed carry gun owners has been abolished.

The City of Seattle is said to be ready to start charging a “gun violence tax,” as reported by The Blaze. The tax is reported to amount to $25 on each gun, as well as $0.05 on each round of ammunition larger than 0.22 caliber; smaller ammunition will be levied $0.02 per round at the point of purchase. The city estimates that the new gun tax will raise between $300,000 and $500,000 per year.

This, next time someone says “no one’s talking about gun confiscation” https://t.co/k3eHijDFAw #2A

— NRA (@NRA) December 30, 2015

Cook County, Illinois, established a similar gun tax earlier in 2015, according to the Huffington Post, which some critics have panned by stating that “Chicago gun violence continues to escalate.”

Another change coming for gun owners in 2016 is the end of reciprocity of recognition of concealed carry gun permits in Virginia from the 25 other states it held agreements with, according to the Washington Post. The new gun laws for 2016 in Virginia are scheduled to come into effect on February 1.

With the new guns laws coming into place on January 1, 2016, there are 45 states reported to allow the licensed open carry of firearms. States where the practice remains prohibited include Illinois, Florida, California, South Carolina, and New York.

[Photo by Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images]