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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to unlawfully carrying a handgun in a motor vehicle or |
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watercraft. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 46.02(a-1), Penal Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(a-1) A person commits an offense if the person |
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intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries a handgun on or |
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about his or her person [a handgun] in a motor vehicle or watercraft |
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[that is owned by the person or under the person's control] at any |
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time in which: |
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(1) the handgun is in plain view, unless the person is |
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21 years of age or older or is licensed to carry a handgun under |
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Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, and the handgun is |
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carried in a holster; or |
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(2) the person is: |
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(A) engaged in criminal activity, other than a |
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Class C misdemeanor that is a violation of a law or ordinance |
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regulating traffic or boating; or |
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(B) prohibited by law from possessing a firearm. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this |
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Act. An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |