| 6 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 5 | | relating to defenses and exceptions to the prosecution of the |
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| 8 | 6 | | criminal offense of the possession, manufacture, transport, |
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| 9 | 7 | | repair, or sale of certain prohibited explosive weapons, firearms, |
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| 10 | 8 | | and related items. |
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| 11 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Sections 46.05(a) and (e), Penal Code, are |
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| 13 | 11 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 12 | | (a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally |
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| 15 | 13 | | or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or |
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| 16 | 14 | | sells: |
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| 17 | 15 | | (1) any of the following items, unless the item is |
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| 18 | 16 | | registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer |
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| 19 | 17 | | Record maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and |
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| 20 | 18 | | Explosives or classified as a curio or relic by the United States |
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| 21 | 19 | | Department of Justice: |
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| 22 | 20 | | (A) an explosive weapon; |
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| 23 | 21 | | (B) [(2)] a machine gun; |
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| 24 | 22 | | (C) [(3)] a short-barrel firearm; or |
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| 25 | 23 | | (D) [(4)] a firearm silencer; |
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| 26 | 24 | | (2) [(5)] knuckles; |
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| 27 | 25 | | (3) [(6)] armor-piercing ammunition; |
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| 28 | 26 | | (4) [(7)] a chemical dispensing device; |
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| 29 | 27 | | (5) [(8)] a zip gun; or |
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| 30 | 28 | | (6) [(9)] a tire deflation device. |
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| 31 | 29 | | (e) An offense under Subsection (a)(1), [(2),] (3), (4), |
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| 32 | 30 | | [(6), (7),] or (5) [(8)] is a felony of the third degree. An offense |
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| 33 | 31 | | under Subsection (a)(6) [(a)(9)] is a state jail felony. An offense |
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| 34 | 32 | | under Subsection (a)(2) [(a)(5)] is a Class A misdemeanor. |
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| 35 | 33 | | SECTION 2. Section 46.05(c), Penal Code, is repealed. |
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| 36 | 34 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 37 | 35 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 38 | 36 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 39 | 37 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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| 40 | 38 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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| 41 | 39 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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| 42 | 40 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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| 43 | 41 | | before that date. |
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| 44 | 42 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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| 43 | + | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 44 | + | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 45 | + | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 473 passed the Senate on |
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| 46 | + | April 20, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 0. |
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| 47 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | + | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 49 | + | I hereby certify that S.B. No. 473 passed the House on |
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| 50 | + | May 11, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 124, Nays 0, one |
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| 51 | + | present not voting. |
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| 52 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 53 | + | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 54 | + | Approved: |
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| 55 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 56 | + | Date |
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| 57 | + | ______________________________ |
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| 58 | + | Governor |
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