88R1952 DIO-D
 
  By: Goodwin H.B. No. 253
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the prosecution of the offense of making a firearm
  accessible to a child.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 46.13(a) and (b), Penal Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  In this section:
               (1)  "Child" means a person younger than 18 [17] years
  of age.
               (2)  ["Readily dischargeable firearm" means a firearm
  that is loaded with ammunition, whether or not a round is in the
  chamber.
               [(3)]  "Secure" means to take steps that a reasonable
  person would take to prevent the access to a [readily
  dischargeable] firearm by a child, including [but not limited to]
  placing a firearm in a locked container or temporarily rendering
  the firearm inoperable by a trigger lock or other means.
         (b)  A person commits an offense if a child gains access to a
  [readily dischargeable] firearm and the person with criminal
  negligence:
               (1)  failed to secure the firearm; or
               (2)  left the firearm in a place to which the person
  knew or should have known the child would gain access.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies 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 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.