Nearly two years ago, lawmakers passed a bill that allows most Texans to carry a gun without a permit.
"I mean, we love to carry them. We love to be able to say that we have the Second Amendment that is part of our DNA," said Alex Del Carmen, dean of the school of criminology at Tarleton State University and director of the Institute for Predictive Analytics in Criminal Justice.
But experts said that doesn't mean gun owners are free of responsibility to themselves and those around them.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"Any time you use a weapon, you are putting yourself at some both criminal and civil liability," said North Richland Hills police chief and president of the Texas Police Chiefs Association Jimmy Perdue said. "I mean, you have to make the decision whether that the use of this weapon is going to be viewed legally appropriate and both, you know, ethically appropriate."
Host Baylee Friday also talked to Leigh Richardson, the founder of the Brain Performance Center in Dallas about the mentality behind carrying a weapon.
Listen to Texas Wants to Know in the Audacy app or wherever you get your podcasts.
