Who's licensed to open carry? The 40 ZIPs in Texas where the most CHL holders live

Nearly 40 ZIP codes in Texas are home to at least 2,500 concealed handgun licensees, who are allowed to openly carry their pistols in public under a new state law, according to data obtained by mySA.com under Texas open records laws.

The ZIPs with the most licensees are peppered throughout the state, with the majority located in suburbs of major metros like San Antonio, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, which has seven of the 10 most-licensed ZIPs, the records show.

Other postal codes with at least 2,500 people licensed to carry are in places including Midland, Lubbock and College Station. Three ZIP codes near San Antonio meet that threshold, including Kerrville, Boerne and New Braunfels.

RELATED: 9 things to know about Texas' new open carry law

In total, there are 937,419 active CHL holders in Texas — about 3.6 percent of the state's population — according to the records, and 299 Texas ZIP codes are home to 1,000 or more individuals who are licensed to carry. Those areas account for about 55 percent of all CHL holders in the Lone Star State.

Use the interactive map below to explore each ZIP code in Texas based on residents' licensed to carry.

Click here to look up your ZIP code in the CHL database.

On Tuesday, state legislators met at the Capitol for a "hearing meant to help lessen confusion caused" by the law, which went into effect Jan. 1, 2016 and allows people with a CHL to openly carry pistols in public places, as long as the weapon is holstered.

"The public is still very confused, and the more we can do to inform the public, the more they understand 'can I' or 'can't I' or 'do I' or 'don't I,' the better it is for everyone," said state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, according to the Texas Tribune.

Private brick-and-mortar businesses are allowed to opt out by placing required signage.

RELATED: Whataburger: No 'open carry' in our restaurants despite new Texas law

Several major chains including San Antonio-based H-E-B and Whataburger have adopted policies prohibiting open carry in their establishments. A handful of others, including Tip Top Cafe's two San Antonio locations, have embraced the new law with open arms. One barbecue joint in Houston offered a 25 percent discount to customers with guns on Jan. 1.

Previously, licensees were required by law to conceal their handguns in public, however, the open carrying of long guns, such as semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, was — and still is — allowed by state law.

Since the law went into effect, nearly three dozen lawsuits have been filed against Texas cities accusing their governments from illegally banning firearms in city buildings.

RELATED: San Antonio staple Tip Top Cafe to allow open carry, says 'armed society is a civil society'

kparker@mysa.com

Twitter: @KoltenParker

ceudaily@mysa.com

Twitter: @chrisudaily