| 1 | 1 | | 89R16088 JSC-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: West S.B. No. 2556 |
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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 regulating the carrying of firearms on or within |
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| 10 | 10 | | publicly owned fairgrounds and similar public facilities during |
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| 11 | 11 | | certain events; creating 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. Chapter 250, Local Government Code, is amended |
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| 14 | 14 | | by adding Section 250.014 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 250.014. REGULATION OF FIREARMS ON OR WITHIN PUBLICLY |
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| 16 | 16 | | OWNED FAIRGROUNDS AND SIMILAR PUBLIC FACILITIES. (a) A |
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| 17 | 17 | | municipality or county may adopt a regulation prohibiting a person, |
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| 18 | 18 | | including a person who holds a license to carry a handgun under |
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| 19 | 19 | | Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, from carrying a |
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| 20 | 20 | | firearm: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) on or within a publicly owned fairground or a |
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| 22 | 22 | | similar public facility owned or leased by the municipality or |
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| 23 | 23 | | county during a fair, festival, carnival, or similar event operated |
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| 24 | 24 | | by the municipality or county; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2) on or within a fairground or a similar public |
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| 26 | 26 | | facility during a fair, festival, carnival, or similar event: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) operated by a private entity; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (B) located on property owned by the municipality |
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| 29 | 29 | | or county. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (b) A private entity that uses a fairground or similar |
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| 31 | 31 | | public facility owned by a municipality or county to host a fair, |
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| 32 | 32 | | festival, carnival, or similar event may prohibit the carrying of a |
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| 33 | 33 | | firearm by any person, including a person who holds a license to |
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| 34 | 34 | | carry a handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, |
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| 35 | 35 | | on the property, regardless of whether the municipality or county |
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| 36 | 36 | | has adopted a regulation under Subsection (a). |
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| 37 | 37 | | (c) Subsections (a) and (b) do not authorize a municipality, |
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| 38 | 38 | | county, or private entity to regulate or prohibit the carrying of a |
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| 39 | 39 | | firearm by a person described by Section 46.15(a)(1), Penal Code, |
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| 40 | 40 | | or by a person who is otherwise authorized to carry a firearm under |
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| 41 | 41 | | a license or commission issued under Chapter 1702, Occupations |
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| 42 | 42 | | Code. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 2. Section 46.03, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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| 44 | 44 | | Subsection (a-5) and amending Subsection (g-2) to read as follows: |
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| 45 | 45 | | (a-5) A license holder or other person commits an offense |
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| 46 | 46 | | if: |
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| 47 | 47 | | (1) the person carries a firearm on or within a |
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| 48 | 48 | | publicly owned fairground or similar public facility, other than an |
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| 49 | 49 | | amusement park; |
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| 50 | 50 | | (2) the carrying of a firearm on or within the |
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| 51 | 51 | | fairground or facility is prohibited under Section 250.014(a) or |
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| 52 | 52 | | (b), Local Government Code; and |
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| 53 | 53 | | (3) the municipality, county, or private entity |
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| 54 | 54 | | imposing the prohibition has given effective notice under Section |
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| 55 | 55 | | 30.06 or 30.07, as applicable, with respect to the fairground or |
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| 56 | 56 | | facility. |
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| 57 | 57 | | (g-2) An offense committed under Subsection (a)(8), |
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| 58 | 58 | | (a)(10), (a)(11), (a)(13), (a-2), (a-3), [or] (a-4), or (a-5) is a |
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| 59 | 59 | | Class A misdemeanor. |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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