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Texas Lawmakers Take Up Gun Control Enforcement Ban


Gun laws and the Second Amendment rights: they’ve been talkers for months. Later Wednesday, Texas lawmakers will take up the issue at the Capitol.

On Wednesday afternoon, lawmakers will hold a public hearing on House Bill 553, or the “Second Amendment Preservation Act.” The bill would make it a crime for a peace officer, state officer, or state employee to enforce Federal laws having to do with confiscating guns, banning guns, limiting magazine size, imposing ammo limits, taxing guns or ammo, or requiring registration of any gun or ammo. Under the bill, doing so would be a Class B misdemeanor, meaning up to six months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.

The bill would also require Texas Department of Public Safety to report to the Governor, Attorney General, and Legislature any attempt by the federal government to enforce those gun control laws.

The bill would also make it a Class A misdemeanor if any “public servant”, which includes federal employees, takes part in that enforcement. That penalty would be up to a year in jail and $10,000 in fines.

By Adam Bennett