| 1 | 1 | | 89R892 TSS-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hayes H.B. No. 259 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the prohibition of short-barrel firearms. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Sections 46.05(a) and (d), Penal Code, are |
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| 12 | 12 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally |
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| 14 | 14 | | or knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, repairs, or |
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| 15 | 15 | | sells: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) any of the following items, unless the item is |
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| 17 | 17 | | registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer |
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| 18 | 18 | | Record maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and |
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| 19 | 19 | | Explosives or otherwise not subject to that registration |
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| 20 | 20 | | requirement or unless the item is classified as a curio or relic by |
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| 21 | 21 | | the United States Department of Justice: |
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| 22 | 22 | | (A) an explosive weapon; or |
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| 23 | 23 | | (B) a machine gun; [or |
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| 24 | 24 | | [(C) a short-barrel firearm;] |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) armor-piercing ammunition; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (3) a chemical dispensing device; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (4) a zip gun; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (5) a tire deflation device; or |
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| 29 | 29 | | (6) an improvised explosive device. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (d) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this |
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| 31 | 31 | | section that the actor's conduct: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) was incidental to dealing with a [short-barrel |
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| 33 | 33 | | firearm or] tire deflation device solely as an antique or curio; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (2) was incidental to dealing with armor-piercing |
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| 35 | 35 | | ammunition solely for the purpose of making the ammunition |
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| 36 | 36 | | available to an organization, agency, or institution listed in |
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| 37 | 37 | | Subsection (b); or |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) was incidental to dealing with a tire deflation |
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| 39 | 39 | | device solely for the purpose of making the device available to an |
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| 40 | 40 | | organization, agency, or institution listed in Subsection (b). |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. Section 46.01(10), Penal Code, is repealed. |
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| 42 | 42 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 43 | 43 | | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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| 44 | 44 | | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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| 45 | 45 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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| 46 | 46 | | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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| 47 | 47 | | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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| 48 | 48 | | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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| 49 | 49 | | before that date. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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