|
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
relating to the application of certain concealed handgun license |
|
laws to the attorney general, to assistant attorneys general, and |
|
to federal prosecutors, judges, and justices, and to the authority |
|
of those individuals to carry certain weapons. |
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
SECTION 1. Section 411.1882(a), Government Code, is amended |
|
to read as follows: |
|
(a) A person who is serving in this state as a judge or |
|
justice of a federal court, as an active judicial officer, as |
|
defined by Section 411.201, or as the attorney general or an |
|
assistant attorney general, United States attorney, assistant |
|
United States attorney, special assistant United States attorney, |
|
[a] district attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal |
|
district attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, county |
|
attorney, or assistant county attorney may establish handgun |
|
proficiency for the purposes of this subchapter by obtaining from a |
|
handgun proficiency instructor approved by the Texas Commission on |
|
Law Enforcement for purposes of Section 1702.1675, Occupations |
|
Code, a sworn statement that indicates that the person, during the |
|
12-month period preceding the date of the person's application to |
|
the department, demonstrated to the instructor proficiency in the |
|
use of handguns. |
|
SECTION 2. Section 46.035(h-1), Penal Code, as added by |
|
Chapters 1214 (H.B. 1889) and 1222 (H.B. 2300), Acts of the 80th |
|
Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, is reenacted and amended to |
|
read as follows: |
|
(h-1) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsections (b) |
|
and (c) that the actor, at the time of the commission of the |
|
offense, was: |
|
(1) a judge or justice of a federal court; |
|
(2) an active judicial officer, as defined by Section |
|
411.201, Government Code; [or] |
|
(3) [(2)] a bailiff designated by the active judicial |
|
officer and engaged in escorting the officer; or |
|
(4) the attorney general or an assistant attorney |
|
general, United States attorney, assistant United States attorney, |
|
special assistant United States attorney, [(3) a] district |
|
attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal district attorney, |
|
assistant criminal district attorney, county attorney, or |
|
assistant county attorney. |
|
SECTION 3. Section 46.15(a), Penal Code, is amended to read |
|
as follows: |
|
(a) Sections 46.02 and 46.03 do not apply to: |
|
(1) peace officers or special investigators under |
|
Article 2.122, Code of Criminal Procedure, and neither section |
|
prohibits a peace officer or special investigator from carrying a |
|
weapon in this state, including in an establishment in this state |
|
serving the public, regardless of whether the peace officer or |
|
special investigator is engaged in the actual discharge of the |
|
officer's or investigator's duties while carrying the weapon; |
|
(2) parole officers and neither section prohibits an |
|
officer from carrying a weapon in this state if the officer is: |
|
(A) engaged in the actual discharge of the |
|
officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and |
|
(B) in compliance with policies and procedures |
|
adopted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the |
|
possession of a weapon by an officer while on duty; |
|
(3) community supervision and corrections department |
|
officers appointed or employed under Section 76.004, Government |
|
Code, and neither section prohibits an officer from carrying a |
|
weapon in this state if the officer is: |
|
(A) engaged in the actual discharge of the |
|
officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and |
|
(B) authorized to carry a weapon under Section |
|
76.0051, Government Code; |
|
(4) a judge or justice of a federal court or an active |
|
judicial officer as defined by Section 411.201, Government Code, |
|
who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Subchapter H, |
|
Chapter 411, Government Code; |
|
(5) an honorably retired peace officer, qualified |
|
retired law enforcement officer, federal criminal investigator, or |
|
former reserve law enforcement officer who holds a certificate of |
|
proficiency issued under Section 1701.357, Occupations Code, and is |
|
carrying a photo identification that is issued by a federal, state, |
|
or local law enforcement agency, as applicable, and that verifies |
|
that the officer is: |
|
(A) an honorably retired peace officer; |
|
(B) a qualified retired law enforcement officer; |
|
(C) a federal criminal investigator; or |
|
(D) a former reserve law enforcement officer who |
|
has served in that capacity not less than a total of 15 years with |
|
one or more state or local law enforcement agencies; |
|
(6) the attorney general or a United states attorney, |
|
district attorney, criminal district attorney, county attorney, or |
|
municipal attorney who is licensed to carry a concealed handgun |
|
under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; |
|
(7) an assistant attorney general, assistant United |
|
States attorney, special assistant United States attorney, |
|
assistant district attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, |
|
or assistant county attorney who is licensed to carry a concealed |
|
handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; |
|
(8) a bailiff designated by an active judicial officer |
|
as defined by Section 411.201, Government Code, who is: |
|
(A) licensed to carry a concealed handgun under |
|
Chapter 411, Government Code; and |
|
(B) engaged in escorting the judicial officer; or |
|
(9) a juvenile probation officer who is authorized to |
|
carry a firearm under Section 142.006, Human Resources Code. |
|
SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections |
|
46.035(h-1) and 46.15(a), Penal Code, apply 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 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |