TSRA PAC Supports Short-Barreled Firearms
On Thursday, March 13, at 9:00am, the Senate State Affairs Committee will hear Senate Bill 1596, legislation sponsored by Sen. Brent Hagenbuch (R-Denton) which repeals criminalization of the manufacture, possession and sale of short-barreled firearms at the state level. (Note that these items would still be regulated under the National Firearms Act on the federal level.) Maneuverability while hunting and increased ability to manipulate the gun in tight spaces for self-defense are just two reasons people are interested in owning SBRs or SBSs despite the paperwork and cost involved for legal ownership.
Short-barreled firearms are currently prohibited under Section 46.05 of the Texas Penal Code, defined generally as rifles with a barrel length of less than 16 inches and shotguns with a barrel length of less than 18 inches. An exception to this ban exists for NFA-compliant SBRs and SBSs, a process which includes registration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and a $200 tax stamp.
As a result of the ATF rule treating pistols with stabilizing braces as SBRs, millions of Americans finding themselves in possession of newly-unlawful firearms, and multiple lawsuits in federal courts to resolve this conflict, there has been sentiment among freedom-loving Texas lawmakers to push for legislation that removes this state prohibition on short-barreled firearms. The author of the House companion bill (HB 259), Rep. Richard Hayes (R-Lake Dallas), noted: “With this recent effort by the federal government to re-classify a pistol equipped with a stabilizing brace as a short-barreled rifle, and in anticipation of future reclassification, Texas law needs to be amended to clarify that short-barreled firearms are not prohibited under state law.” Also, if Congress ever repeals NFA, or removes certain items like SBRs and SBSs from its regulatory framework, Texas will have already taken care of business in this policy realm.
TSRA’s legislative team will be registering our support for SB 1596 with the committee. We thank Senator Hagenbuch for sponsoring SB 1596 and look forward to the Senate State Affairs Committee taking favorable action on this measure!
TSRA Members: Please contact the members of the Senate State Affairs Committee and urge them to support SB 1596! You can find a list of those Senators here:
The Texas State Senate – Senate Committee on State Affairs
Story by TSRA Legislative Team
March 12, 2025