U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- On 15 June, 2021, Governor Greg Abbott signed Texas HB 957 into law. The new law removes the Texas prohibition on firearm suppressors, commonly known as silencers or gun mufflers. From the bill:
“Firearm suppressor” means any device designed, made, or adapted to muffle the report of a firearm.
From the legislative history, it appears silencers, suppressors or gun mufflers were first banned in Texas in 1973. Although they were banned in Texas law, there was an affirmative defense from prosecution if the gun mufflers were legally possessed under federal law, as shown in this AmmoLand article from 2014.
As you can see, lawful registration in accordance with the National Firearms Act is a “defense to prosecution”. In Texas, any “defense to prosecution” has to be disproven by the state beyond a reasonable doubt. If reasonable doubt is established that the item in question is properly registered, the state requires that the defendant be acquitted.
Texas changed the affirmative defense to clear law with the passage of HB 1819 in 2017. It removed the sweeping prohibition of silencers from Texas law, but granted sovereignty over silencer regulation to the federal government. The federal government requires a payment of a $200 tax and numerous regulatory requirements to possess such items. From the federal statutes:
The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication.
Silencers will no longer be banned under Texas law when HB 957 goes into effect on 1 September, 2021.
HB 957 enacts strong anti-commandeering language.
Texas state resources shall not be allowed to enforce the federal National Firearms Act with respect to silencers, suppressors, or gun mufflers. If any Texas official aids in the enforcement of NFA silencer law, they are subject to losing any grant funds from the State of Texas for the following fiscal year. From HB 957:
Sec. 2.103. STATE GRANT FUNDS. (a) An entity described by Section 2.101 may not receive state grant funds if the entity adopts a rule, order, ordinance, or policy under which the entity enforces a federal law described by Section 2.102(a) or, by consistent action, allows the enforcement of a federal law described by Section 2.102(a).
(b) State grant funds for the entity shall be denied for the fiscal year following the year in which a final judicial determination in an action brought under this subchapter is made that the entity has violated Section 2.102(a).
Once the law goes into effect, people in Texas will have to work at being prosecuted for the possession of a suppressor without an NFA tax stamp.
How would anyone know if the suppressor is possessed with a tax stamp or not, unless the possessor is in the habit of bragging about not having a tax stamp, or if they broadcast their possession of an unregulated suppressor on social media?
Both such situations have occurred.
There may be prosecutions for illegal importations of suppressors. There have been a couple of those in the last two years, in the entire USA.
Texas is the largest market for NFA items in the USA. There were 401,861 silencers registered with the ATF in Texas as of April, 2020. In 2011, there were 36,204.
This correspondent found only one Texas prosecution for an illegal silencer in Texas, in the last 5 years. It was Rick Montevealvo in Houston, in 2019. There were multiple other charges and warrants. Montevealvo had no criminal record, but had a considerable record of mental issues.
The Texas reform of silencer law is part of the broad movement to reform or repeal the National Firearms Act.
Arkansas repealed its ban on silencers in 2019. Texas law goes further, with the strong anti-commandeering provision.
From this correspondent’s review of state firearms laws, as collected by the ATF, 22 states do not have a state prohibition on the possession of silencers.
There is more. HB 957 sets up a test case of the extraordinary powers which have been given to the federal government by the Supreme Court, under the current bizarre interpretation of the Interstate Commerce Clause.
Those implications will be discussed in a future article.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
This, and the 2A “Sanctuary State” thing, and Constitutional Carry are a good start; but it has taken way too much political pressure on Abbott and Patrick to achieve these concessions. We need high ranking leadership, at the State level, who take a serious, personal no compromise approach to defending our constitutionsl liberties. While laws are being repealed, as a stop-gap, very loudly tell all the Feds, No! No more! Not here! And back it up with Texas LEOs and National Guard protecting Texas citizens from Federal harrassment.
Two questions, Dean: 1) Is there a provision in the law that states that if a Texas enforcer arrests someone (who is using a suppressor for which he did not go through the federal process) at a gun range and the Texas enforcer informs federal enforcers about the violation of federal law, then that enforcer will: Lose his Texas law enforcer job; Lose his enforcer pension and other benefits; Be prohibited from obtaining any job working for any Texas government agency; and Be subject to personal lawsuits for intentionally violating Texas law while being employed as an enforcer and therefore… Read more »
The states need to take back the power they have allowed the Federal Government to steal since the 1800’s. Originally the Federal government was actually very weak and all the power belonged to the states. Somewhere things went to hell. States take back the power.
Dean, Did you read the whole bill, just gloss over it, or intentionally omit one of the most important sections Sec. 2.054 ?
Sec. 2.054. ATTORNEY GENERAL. On written notification to the attorney general by a United States citizen who resides in this state of the citizen’s intent to manufacture a firearm suppressor to which Section 2.052 applies, the attorney general shall seek a declaratory judgment from a federal district court in this state that Section 2.052 is consistent with the United States Constitution.
We need something like this in Indiana.
I have heard it said that it still needs to pass federal approval. However, look at marijuana laws. Many states have legalized marijuana even though it is a federal law. And is this really any different? If TX legalizes purchasing and owning Texas made suppressors, wouldn’t that basically be the same thing? Legal to own and use in Texas, but not really anywhere else. Technically, couldn’t the Fed go to any state who has legalized marijuana and arrest someone? Yes I think so. But I don’t think that is happening.
What’s with the ridiculous “moderation”?
“HB1819…removed the sweeping prohibition of silencers from Texas law, but granted sovereignty over silencer regulation to the federal govt…”
“Silencers will no longer be banned…when HB 957 goes into effect on 9-1-21…HB 957 enacts strong anti-commandeering language…state resources shall not be allowed to enforce the federal NFA with respect to silencers, suppressors, or gun mufflers.”
So, does HB957 end federal sovereignty over Texas silencer regulation???
Governor Abbott, Ken Paxton, Steven McCraw, and Steve Westbrook should lead by example. They should all go out and buy a Texas-made suppressor without going through the federal process and hold a press conference to show reporters their new purchases. They should make statements defying the federal government and declare what they have done is perfectly legal because of Texas law.