AUSTIN, Tex. — For decades, the south steps of the State Capitol have served as a staging area for rallies on issues ranging from abortion to immigration rights, but Friday was the first time that demonstrators walked around here with handguns on their hips.

On a chilly, overcast day, more than 100 Texans gathered carrying an array of holstered weaponry — Glocks, Smith & Wessons and more — to mark a change in the law that lets them openly display the fact that they are armed. The practice had been banned in Texas since 1871.

Similar demonstrations were held in several other Texas cities.

Epi Camacho, 34, a transit system driver from Dallas, was so eager to take advantage of the law that he said he arrived at the Capitol around 10:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and then symbolically unveiled his pistol — a Glock 23 — at the stroke of midnight. “It’s about time,” he said later.

More than 40 states allow some type of open carry, but Texas is now the most populous state to do so. The change affects only a small fraction of Texans — 925,000 men and women with active state-issued licenses to carry a concealed firearm. Only those with concealed-handgun permits are allowed to openly carry weapons, and all must submit their fingerprints and pass a criminal background check.