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          A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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          AN ACT
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        relating to certain firearms, firearm accessories and firearm  | 
      
      
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        ammunition within the State of Texas; providing an exemption from  | 
      
      
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        federal regulation and providing penalties. | 
      
      
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               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
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               SECTION 1.  The Legislature of the State of Texas finds that: | 
      
      
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                     (1)  The Tenth Amendment to the United States  | 
      
      
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        Constitution reserves to the states and the people all powers not  | 
      
      
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        granted to the federal government elsewhere in the constitution, as  | 
      
      
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        those powers were understood at the time Texas was admitted to  | 
      
      
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        statehood in 1845.  The guaranty of those powers is a matter of  | 
      
      
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        contract between the state and people of Texas and the United States  | 
      
      
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        dating from the time Texas became a state. | 
      
      
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                     (2)  The Ninth Amendment to the United States  | 
      
      
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        Constitution guarantees to the people rights not enumerated in the  | 
      
      
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        constitution, as those rights were understood at the time Texas  | 
      
      
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        became a state.  The guaranty of those rights is a matter of  | 
      
      
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        contract between the state and people of Texas and the United States  | 
      
      
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        dating from the time Texas became a state. | 
      
      
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                     (3)  The Second Amendment to the United States  | 
      
      
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        Constitution guarantees the right of the people to keep and bear  | 
      
      
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        arms, as that right was understood at the time Texas became a state.   | 
      
      
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        The guaranty of that right is a matter of contract between the state  | 
      
      
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        and people of Texas and the United States dating from the time Texas  | 
      
      
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        became a state. | 
      
      
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                     (4)  Section 23, Article I, Texas Constitution, secures  | 
      
      
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        to Texas citizens the right to keep and bear arms.  That  | 
      
      
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        constitutional protection is unchanged from the date the  | 
      
      
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        constitution was adopted in 1876. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 2.  The Penal Code is amended by adding Chapter 40 to  | 
      
      
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        read as follows: | 
      
      
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        Chapter 40.  The Texas Firearm Protection Act | 
      
      
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               Sec. 40.01.  This chapter may be cited as the Texas Firearm  | 
      
      
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        Protection Act. | 
      
      
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               Sec. 40.02.  Definitions. In this chapter: | 
      
      
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                     (1)  "Firearm" has the meaning assigned by Section  | 
      
      
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        46.01. | 
      
      
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                     (2)  "Firearm accessory" means an item that is used in  | 
      
      
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        conjunction with or mounted on a firearm but is not essential to the  | 
      
      
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        basic function of the firearm.  The term includes a detachable  | 
      
      
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        firearm magazine. | 
      
      
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               Sec. 40.03.  STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT POLICY REGARDING  | 
      
      
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        ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL FIREARM LAWS.  (a)  This section applies to: | 
      
      
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                     (1)  the State of Texas, including an agency,  | 
      
      
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        department, commission, bureau, board, office, council, court or  | 
      
      
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        other entity that is in any branch of state government and that is  | 
      
      
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        created by the Constitution or a statute of this state, including a  | 
      
      
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        university system or a system of higher education; | 
      
      
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                     (2)  the governing body of a municipality, county, or  | 
      
      
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        special district or authority; | 
      
      
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                     (3)  an officer, employee, or other body that is part of  | 
      
      
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        a municipality, county, or special district or authority, including  | 
      
      
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        a sheriff, municipal police department, municipal attorney, or  | 
      
      
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        county attorney; and | 
      
      
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                     (4)  a district attorney or criminal district attorney. | 
      
      
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               (b)  An entity described by Subsection (a) may not adopt a  | 
      
      
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        rule, order, ordinance, or policy under which the entity enforces,  | 
      
      
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        or by consistent action allows the enforcement of, a federal  | 
      
      
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        statute, order, rule or regulation enacted on or after January 1,  | 
      
      
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        2013 that purports to regulate a firearm, firearm accessory, or  | 
      
      
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        firearm ammunition if the statute, order, rule or regulation  | 
      
      
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        imposes a prohibition, restriction or other regulation, such as  | 
      
      
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        capacity or size limitation, a registration requirement or a  | 
      
      
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        background check, that does not exist under the laws of this state. | 
      
      
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               (c)  No entity described by Subsection (a) and no person  | 
      
      
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        employed by or otherwise under the direction or control of the  | 
      
      
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        entity may enforce or attempt to enforce any federal statute,  | 
      
      
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        order, rule or regulation described by Subsection (b). | 
      
      
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               (d)  An entity described by Subsection (a) may not receive  | 
      
      
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        state grant funds if the entity adopts a rule, order, ordinance, or  | 
      
      
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        policy under which the entity enforces any federal laws described  | 
      
      
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        by Subsection (b) or, by consistent actions, allows the enforcement  | 
      
      
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        of any federal laws described by Subsection (b).  State grant funds  | 
      
      
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        for the entity shall be denied for the fiscal year following the  | 
      
      
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        year in which a final judicial determination in an action brought  | 
      
      
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        under this section is made that the entity has violated Subsection  | 
      
      
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        (b). | 
      
      
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               (e)  Any citizen residing in the jurisdiction of an entity  | 
      
      
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        described by Subsection (a) may file a complaint with the attorney  | 
      
      
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        general if the citizen offers evidence to support an allegation  | 
      
      
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        that the entity has adopted a rule, order, ordinance, or policy  | 
      
      
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        under which the entity enforces the federal laws described by  | 
      
      
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        Subsection (b) or that the entity, by consistent actions, allows  | 
      
      
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        the enforcement of any laws described by Subsection (b).  The  | 
      
      
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        citizen must include with the complaint the evidence the citizen  | 
      
      
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        has that supports the complaint. | 
      
      
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               (f)  If the attorney general determines that a complaint  | 
      
      
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        filed under Subsection (e) against an entity described by  | 
      
      
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        Subsection (a) is valid, the attorney general may file a petition  | 
      
      
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        for a writ of mandamus or apply for other appropriate equitable  | 
      
      
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        relief in a district court in Travis County or in a county in which  | 
      
      
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        the principal office of an entity described by Subsection (a) is  | 
      
      
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        located to compel the entity that adopts a rule, order, ordinance,  | 
      
      
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        or policy under which the local entity enforces the laws described  | 
      
      
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        by Subsection (b) or that, by consistent actions, allows the  | 
      
      
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        enforcement of the laws described by Subsection (b), to comply with  | 
      
      
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        this Section.  The attorney general may recover reasonable expenses  | 
      
      
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        incurred in obtaining relief under this subsection, including court  | 
      
      
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        costs, reasonable attorney's fees, investigative costs, witness  | 
      
      
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        fees, and deposition costs. | 
      
      
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               (g)  An appeal of a suit brought under Subsection (f) is  | 
      
      
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        governed by the procedures for accelerated appeals in civil cases  | 
      
      
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        under the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.  The  appellate court  | 
      
      
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        shall render its final order or judgment with the least possible  | 
      
      
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        delay. | 
      
      
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               (h)  A person commits an offense if, in the person's official  | 
      
      
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        capacity as an officer of an entity described by  Subsection (a), or  | 
      
      
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        as a person employed by or otherwise under the direction or control  | 
      
      
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        of the entity, or under color of law, knowingly enforces or attempts  | 
      
      
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        to enforce any federal statute, order, rule or regulation described  | 
      
      
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        by Subsection (b).  An offense under this Subsection is a Class A  | 
      
      
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        Misdemeanor. | 
      
      
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               SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives  | 
      
      
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        a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as  | 
      
      
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        provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this  | 
      
      
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        Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this  | 
      
      
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        Act shall take effect September 1, 2013. |