Texas has a very pro-gun reputation, but for a while, that wasn't as warranted as many liked to think. They had a training requirement for concealed carry, for one thing, though that's largely irrelevant with constitutional carry.
But they also forbid short-barreled rifles and shotguns, apparently. (They're not. See note at the need)
This is something I was unaware of. I know some anti-gun states don't like them, but Texas? Yeah, apparently.
A new bill, however, seeks to correct that massive issue.
The 89th Texas Legislative Session will end on June 2nd, 2025, and Texas lawmakers are working hard to get their bills passed and sent to the Governor's office for a signature, making them law.
What Is SB 1596?
This bill changes the rules on short-barrel firearms. A short-barreled firearm would be commonly known as a sawed-off shotgun. Currently, there are laws that do not allow shotguns or rifles with a shorter barrel.
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How the Texas Law on Short-Barrel Firearms Would Change
Right now, in Texas, it is illegal to own, sell, create, or transport these guns unless you are law enforcement or military.
However, this will all be changing soon.
That last sentence might be a tad premature, but I do happen to feel like it's right.
The Texas of today has embraced gun rights far more fully than it has in the past, which means it's very likely that a bill like this will pass, provided people step up and rally behind it.
Anti-gunners engage in a lot of hysteria about these weapons, and it's not entirely without cause, though I'm not saying they're right to be concerned. There's a reason a lot of people prefer short-barreled versions of various long guns. They're smaller, easier to maneuver, and can even be concealed in certain circumstances.
But in the argument against this bill, though, they also show why the current prohibition is stupid.
The worry about the passage of this bill includes that these weapons are easily concealed, and it is believed that it could increase gun violence. Many opponents of this bill cite the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, where a short-barreled firearm was used.
See the issue?
The 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting may have involved a short-barreled shotgun, but these weapons were already prohibited in the state. People who want to break the law aren't going to be the least bit concerned about shortening the barrel of their rifle or shotgun. The state's prohibition on these does nothing at all to stop such individuals.
Instead, it just means law-abiding citizens can't have them.
As it stands, these will still be restricted under federal law, which requires the $200 tax stamp and federal registration. They're not going to be just sitting on store shelves waiting for whoever wants one to get it and carry it home. They're still NFA items, after all.
Texas legalizing them won't do anything except to allow people who go through even more vetting than for a normal gun purchase to buy them, while every potential mass shooter with a hacksaw can have a short-barreled shotgun anytime they want.
Absolutely brilliant thinking, if you can actually call it "thinking."
My hope is that this will pass because the people of Texas deserve it. If this passes and the SHORT Act passes in Congress, then so much the better, because at the end of the day, there's no real reason to restrict these firearms that are completely practical for lawful purposes, not particularly great for most criminals, and ultimately fall under the Second Amendment anyway.
Texas has a chance to fix this at their level, though, and so do a lot of other states who probably won't. Texas, however, likes to at least pretend to be pro-gun, which means there's a good chance that with enough pressure, this will become law and the screaming ninnies will have to go pound sand, as it should be.
Edited to add: (Apparently they're not actually banned. They just require the NFA paperwork to be in order, so this paves the way should the SHORT Act pass.)
