| 1 | 1 | | 89R3409 AJZ-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bernal H.B. No. 479 |
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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 requiring a licensed firearms dealer to report certain |
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| 10 | 10 | | sales or transfers of multiple rifles to law enforcement; creating |
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| 11 | 11 | | a criminal offense. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Title 6, Business & Commerce Code, is amended by |
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| 14 | 14 | | adding Chapter 205 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | CHAPTER 205. REPORTS OF CERTAIN MULTIPLE TRANSFERS OF RIFLES |
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| 16 | 16 | | SUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONS |
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| 17 | 17 | | Sec. 205.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) "Department" means the Department of Public Safety |
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| 19 | 19 | | of the State of Texas. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) "Licensed firearms dealer" means a person who is |
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| 21 | 21 | | licensed as a firearms dealer under 18 U.S.C. Section 923. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) "Rifle" has the meaning assigned by 18 U.S.C. |
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| 23 | 23 | | Section 921. The term includes a semiautomatic rifle, as defined by |
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| 24 | 24 | | that section. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SUBCHAPTER B. REQUIRED REPORTING OF CERTAIN MULTIPLE SALES OR |
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| 26 | 26 | | TRANSFERS OF RIFLES |
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| 27 | 27 | | Sec. 205.051. REPORT BY LICENSED FIREARMS DEALER. (a) This |
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| 28 | 28 | | section applies only to a sale or transfer of two or more rifles |
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| 29 | 29 | | made to the same transferee, other than a licensed firearms dealer, |
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| 30 | 30 | | on a single occasion or on more than one occasion during a period of |
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| 31 | 31 | | five consecutive business days. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b) A licensed firearms dealer shall report, in the form and |
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| 33 | 33 | | manner prescribed by the department, the multiple sales or |
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| 34 | 34 | | transfers described by Subsection (a) to: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) the department; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) if any of the applicable sales or transfers |
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| 37 | 37 | | occurred in a municipality, the police department of each |
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| 38 | 38 | | municipality in which the applicable sales or transfers occurred; |
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| 39 | 39 | | and |
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| 40 | 40 | | (3) if any of the applicable sales or transfers |
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| 41 | 41 | | occurred outside the boundaries of a municipality, the sheriff of |
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| 42 | 42 | | the county in which the applicable sales or transfers occurred. |
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| 43 | 43 | | Sec. 205.052. OFFENSE. (a) A licensed firearms dealer who |
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| 44 | 44 | | violates Section 205.051 commits an offense. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (b) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor. |
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| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 2. Not later than September 1, 2025, the Department |
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| 47 | 47 | | of Public Safety shall develop the form for reporting multiple |
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| 48 | 48 | | rifle sales, as required by Section 205.051(b), Business & Commerce |
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| 49 | 49 | | Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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| 51 | 51 | | to the sale or transfer of a rifle that occurs on or after the |
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| 52 | 52 | | effective date of this Act. A sale or transfer of a rifle that |
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| 53 | 53 | | occurs before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law |
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| 54 | 54 | | in effect immediately before the effective date of this Act, and |
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| 55 | 55 | | that law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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| 56 | 56 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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