|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
|
|
relating to the carrying of knives; creating a criminal offense. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 46.01(6), Penal Code, is amended to read |
|
as follows: |
|
(6) "Location-restricted knife" ["Illegal knife"] |
|
means a: |
|
(A) knife with a blade over five and one-half |
|
inches; |
|
(B) hand instrument designed to cut or stab |
|
another by being thrown; |
|
(C) dagger, including but not limited to a dirk, |
|
stiletto, and poniard; |
|
(D) bowie knife; |
|
(E) sword; or |
|
(F) spear. |
|
SECTION 2. Section 46.02, Penal Code, is amended by |
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-4) to read as |
|
follows: |
|
(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, |
|
knowingly, or recklessly carries on or about his or her person a |
|
handgun[, illegal knife,] or club if the person is not: |
|
(1) on the person's own premises or premises under the |
|
person's control; or |
|
(2) inside of or directly en route to a motor vehicle |
|
or watercraft that is owned by the person or under the person's |
|
control. |
|
(a-4) A person younger than 18 years commits an offense if |
|
the person intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carries on or |
|
about his or her person a location-restricted knife if the person is |
|
not: |
|
(1) on the person's own premises or premises under the |
|
person's control; or |
|
(2) inside of or directly en route to a motor vehicle |
|
or watercraft that is owned by the person or under the person's |
|
control. |
|
SECTION 3. Section 46.03(a), Penal Code, is amended to read |
|
as follows: |
|
(a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, |
|
knowingly, or recklessly possesses or goes with a firearm, |
|
location-restricted [illegal] knife, club, or prohibited weapon |
|
listed in Section 46.05(a): |
|
(1) on the physical premises of a school or |
|
educational institution, any grounds or building on which an |
|
activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being |
|
conducted, or a passenger transportation vehicle of a school or |
|
educational institution, whether the school or educational |
|
institution is public or private, unless pursuant to written |
|
regulations or written authorization of the institution; |
|
(2) on the premises of a polling place on the day of an |
|
election or while early voting is in progress; |
|
(3) on the premises of any government court or offices |
|
utilized by the court, unless pursuant to written regulations or |
|
written authorization of the court; |
|
(4) on the premises of a racetrack; |
|
(5) in or into a secured area of an airport; or |
|
(6) within 1,000 feet of premises the location of |
|
which is designated by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a |
|
place of execution under Article 43.19, Code of Criminal Procedure, |
|
on a day that a sentence of death is set to be imposed on the |
|
designated premises and the person received notice that: |
|
(A) going within 1,000 feet of the premises with |
|
a weapon listed under this subsection was prohibited; or |
|
(B) possessing a weapon listed under this |
|
subsection within 1,000 feet of the premises was prohibited. |
|
SECTION 4. Section 46.03, Penal Code, is amended by |
|
amending Subsection (g) and adding Subsection (g-1) to read as |
|
follows: |
|
(g) Except as provided by Subsection (g-1), an [An] offense |
|
under this section is a third degree felony. |
|
(g-1) If the weapon that is the subject of the offense is a |
|
location-restricted knife, an offense under this section is a Class |
|
C misdemeanor, unless the offense occurred on the physical premises |
|
of a public or private primary or secondary school, any grounds or |
|
building on which an activity sponsored by a public or private |
|
primary or secondary school is being conducted, or a passenger |
|
transportation vehicle of a public or private primary or secondary |
|
school, in which event the offense is a third degree felony. |
|
SECTION 5. Section 46.06(a), Penal Code, is amended to read |
|
as follows: |
|
(a) A person commits an offense if the person: |
|
(1) sells, rents, leases, loans, or gives a handgun to |
|
any person knowing that the person to whom the handgun is to be |
|
delivered intends to use it unlawfully or in the commission of an |
|
unlawful act; |
|
(2) intentionally or knowingly sells, rents, leases, |
|
or gives or offers to sell, rent, lease, or give to any child |
|
younger than 18 years any firearm, club, or location-restricted |
|
[illegal] knife; |
|
(3) intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly sells a |
|
firearm or ammunition for a firearm to any person who is |
|
intoxicated; |
|
(4) knowingly sells a firearm or ammunition for a |
|
firearm to any person who has been convicted of a felony before the |
|
fifth anniversary of the later of the following dates: |
|
(A) the person's release from confinement |
|
following conviction of the felony; or |
|
(B) the person's release from supervision under |
|
community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision following |
|
conviction of the felony; |
|
(5) sells, rents, leases, loans, or gives a handgun to |
|
any person knowing that an active protective order is directed to |
|
the person to whom the handgun is to be delivered; or |
|
(6) knowingly purchases, rents, leases, or receives as |
|
a loan or gift from another a handgun while an active protective |
|
order is directed to the actor. |
|
SECTION 6. Section 46.15(e), Penal Code, is repealed. |
|
SECTION 7. Section 37.007(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (k), a student shall be |
|
expelled from a school if the student, on school property or while |
|
attending a school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off |
|
of school property: |
|
(1) uses, exhibits, or possesses: |
|
(A) a firearm as defined by Section 46.01(3), |
|
Penal Code; |
|
(B) a location-restricted [an illegal] knife as |
|
defined by Section 46.01(6), Penal Code, or by local policy; |
|
(C) a club as defined by Section 46.01(1), Penal |
|
Code; or |
|
(D) a weapon listed as a prohibited weapon under |
|
Section 46.05, Penal Code; |
|
(2) engages in conduct that contains the elements of |
|
the offense of: |
|
(A) aggravated assault under Section 22.02, |
|
Penal Code, sexual assault under Section 22.011, Penal Code, or |
|
aggravated sexual assault under Section 22.021, Penal Code; |
|
(B) arson under Section 28.02, Penal Code; |
|
(C) murder under Section 19.02, Penal Code, |
|
capital murder under Section 19.03, Penal Code, or criminal |
|
attempt, under Section 15.01, Penal Code, to commit murder or |
|
capital murder; |
|
(D) indecency with a child under Section 21.11, |
|
Penal Code; |
|
(E) aggravated kidnapping under Section 20.04, |
|
Penal Code; |
|
(F) aggravated robbery under Section 29.03, |
|
Penal Code; |
|
(G) manslaughter under Section 19.04, Penal |
|
Code; |
|
(H) criminally negligent homicide under Section |
|
19.05, Penal Code; or |
|
(I) continuous sexual abuse of young child or |
|
children under Section 21.02, Penal Code; or |
|
(3) engages in conduct specified by Section |
|
37.006(a)(2)(C) or (D), if the conduct is punishable as a felony. |
|
SECTION 8. Section 52.031(a), Family Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(a) A juvenile board may establish a first offender program |
|
under this section for the referral and disposition of children |
|
taken into custody, or accused prior to the filing of a criminal |
|
charge, of: |
|
(1) conduct indicating a need for supervision; |
|
(2) a Class C misdemeanor, other than a traffic |
|
offense; or |
|
(3) delinquent conduct other than conduct that |
|
constitutes: |
|
(A) a felony of the first, second, or third |
|
degree, an aggravated controlled substance felony, or a capital |
|
felony; or |
|
(B) a state jail felony or misdemeanor involving |
|
violence to a person or the use or possession of a firearm, |
|
location-restricted [illegal] knife, or club, as those terms are |
|
defined by Section 46.01, Penal Code, or a prohibited weapon, as |
|
described by Section 46.05, Penal Code. |
|
SECTION 9. Section 53.01(d), Family Code, is amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(d) Unless the juvenile board approves a written procedure |
|
proposed by the office of prosecuting attorney and chief juvenile |
|
probation officer which provides otherwise, if it is determined |
|
that the person is a child and, regardless of a finding of probable |
|
cause, or a lack thereof, there is an allegation that the child |
|
engaged in delinquent conduct of the grade of felony, or conduct |
|
constituting a misdemeanor offense involving violence to a person |
|
or the use or possession of a firearm, location-restricted |
|
[illegal] knife, or club, as those terms are defined by Section |
|
46.01, Penal Code, or prohibited weapon, as described by Section |
|
46.05, Penal Code, the case shall be promptly forwarded to the |
|
office of the prosecuting attorney, accompanied by: |
|
(1) all documents that accompanied the current |
|
referral; and |
|
(2) a summary of all prior referrals of the child to |
|
the juvenile court, juvenile probation department, or a detention |
|
facility. |
|
SECTION 10. This Act applies only to an offense committed on |
|
or after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed |
|
before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in |
|
effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former law is |
|
continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, |
|
an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if |
|
any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
|
SECTION 11. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |