By Hunter H.B. No. 3789 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to a defense to prosecution for certain weapons offenses. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Section 46.15, Penal Code, is amended by adding 1-5 Subsection (e) to read as follows: 1-6 (e) The provisions of Section 46.02 prohibiting the carrying 1-7 of a club do not apply to a disabled individual. In this 1-8 subsection, "disabled individual" means a person 17 years of age or 1-9 older who by reason of physical disease, defect, or injury is 1-10 substantially unable to protect himself from harm without the use 1-11 of a weapon such as a club. 1-12 SECTION 2. (a) The change in law made by this Act applies 1-13 only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this 1-14 Act. For purposes of this section, an offense is committed before 1-15 the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs 1-16 before the effective date. 1-17 (b) An offense committed before the effective date of this 1-18 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, 1-19 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 1-20 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1999. 1-21 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 1-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 1-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-1 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.