Buying a gun in Waco, Hewitt and McLennan County

Our shop takes its name from Hewitt, the city just southwest of Waco along I-35 in McLennan County. Most of our customers live somewhere in Central Texas, from Woodway, Robinson and Lorena to McGregor, Temple, Belton and Killeen. This guide explains how buying a gun online and picking it up locally works, which state and local rules apply, and where people around Waco hunt and shoot. It reflects the law as of September 2026 and is not legal advice.

How online-to-dealer buying works

Order: pick a firearm in our catalog and choose a licensed dealer near you at checkout. There are dealers in Waco, Hewitt, Woodway and the surrounding towns.
Shipping: we ship the firearm to that dealer, never to your home. Ammunition, optics and most parts ship to your door.
Paperwork: at the dealer you show photo ID, complete ATF Form 4473 and the dealer runs a federal NICS background check. A Texas License to Carry can often stand in for the NICS check.
Pickup: Texas has no waiting period, so once the check clears you take the gun home the same day.
Transfer fee: each dealer sets its own. Ask before you order.

Federal law sets the dealer minimum at 18 for rifles and shotguns and 21 for handguns. There is no state permit to purchase and no registration.

City and county rules

Texas Local Government Code Section 229.001 bars cities from regulating the transfer, ownership, keeping, transportation, licensing or registration of firearms and ammunition. That means Waco, Hewitt, Woodway, Robinson and every other McLennan County town follow the same purchase and carry rules as the rest of Texas. What cities can do:

Discharge: a city may regulate firing a gun inside its limits, other than at a sport shooting range. If you live on acreage inside Waco, Hewitt or Woodway, check the city code before you shoot on your own land.
Buybacks: since September 1, 2025, House Bill 3053 bars cities and counties from running gun buyback programs.
Posting signs: cities and counties may not post 30.06 or 30.07 signs to keep license holders out of government buildings unless state law already makes the place off-limits, such as a courtroom.

Carrying around Waco

Adults 21 and older who may legally have a firearm can carry a handgun without a license, concealed or openly in a holster. The License to Carry is issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety, not the McLennan County sheriff, and costs $40 with a four- to six-hour class and a shooting test. See the Texas License to Carry guide for the full process. A few local notes:

City parks: Texas law does not bar license holders from public parks, so Cameron Park and the Brazos Riverwalk follow state rules. Some parks are federal property with their own rules.
Lake Waco: the lake and its parks are run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and federal rules apply on Corps property. Check with the lake office before you carry or hunt there.
Baylor University: private universities may choose to bar handguns on campus under state law, so check Baylor's current policy before you carry there. Public campuses require a license to carry at all.
Schools, courts and polling places: the McLennan County Courthouse, school campuses and polling places on election days are off-limits under state law.
Game days and events: carrying is barred on premises where a high school, college or professional sporting event is taking place.

Shooting near Waco

There is no public shooting range run by Texas Parks and Wildlife in Central Texas, and target practice is not allowed on the department's public hunting lands. The Corps of Engineers lakes around Waco, including Lake Waco, Lake Whitney, Aquilla Lake, Belton Lake and Stillhouse Hollow, are not target ranges either. Most local shooters use club or commercial ranges; call ahead for hours, rules and fees. If you shoot on private land outside city limits, use a safe earthen backstop and know what lies beyond it.

Hunting around McLennan County

McLennan County is in the North Zone for white-tailed deer. For 2026-27 the general season runs November 7, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with archery from October 3 to November 6 and a special late season for antlerless and unbranched bucks from January 4 to 17, 2027. The county bag is five deer, no more than two bucks, with a 13-inch inside spread rule. See the deer season and rifle guide for the rest.

Feral hogs are the other big draw. The Brazos and Bosque river bottoms, farm fields around Riesel, Mart and Robinson, and creek bottoms toward Lorena all hold hogs. On private land with the landowner's permission, you do not need a hunting license to hunt them. Read the hog hunting guide for the rules and rifle choices.

Neighborhoods and nearby towns

Hewitt and Woodway

Hewitt and Woodway are quiet residential cities on Waco's southwest and west sides, close to the Middle Bosque River and the ranch land beyond. A compact 9mm for carry and a shotgun or rifle for the property are the most common first purchases here.

Robinson, Lorena and McGregor

South and west of Waco the country turns rural fast. Many residents keep a rifle for hogs and coyotes and hunt deer on family land. McGregor sits near the Coryell County line on the way to Gatesville.

Temple, Belton and Killeen

Down I-35, Temple and Belton share Bell County with Killeen and Fort Hood. Service members stationed there often buy through local dealers; the same Texas rules apply, and military members pay no License to Carry fee.

Hillsboro and Marlin

Hillsboro to the north and Marlin to the southeast are farm towns with plenty of hog and deer hunting on private land.

Popular first purchases

Central Texas buyers often start with a compact 9mm for carry, a 12-gauge pump for home defense and birds, an AR-15 for hogs, or a .243, .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor for deer. With no waiting period, a gun ordered today can be picked up as soon as it reaches your dealer.