SB 1596 Passes Texas House

Record Vote Taken Unofficial Totals

SB 1596 passes the Texas house and is off to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law. Short Barrel fireamrs such as a combat rafle with a barrel less than 16 (sixteen) inches or a shot gun with a barrel less than 18 (eighteen) inches are recognized in the industry as sawed off or short barreled firearm. Short barreled firearms are beneficial for home defense because of the ability to have more agility and better maneuver the firearms in a self defense situation. Additionally with a wider spray of ammunition it could potentially reduce any unintended distance of the projectile after the initial impact. Also, being able to get into tight spaces in the home can allow for control and home defense with less room to move.

Short barreled rifles and other firearms have long been prohibited in the state of Texas and soon will be a thing of the past. In April of 2025 SB 1596 passed the Senate and was sent to the House as HB259. Below you will find more info on the status of the bill.

SB 1596

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=SB1596

Senate Bill 1596: Status: PASSED

Sponsors of Senate Bill SB 1596
Hayes, Bumgarner, Virdell, Pierson

Cosponsors of Senate Bill: SB 1596
Cunningham, Curry, Dorazio, Gerdes, Harris, Harrison, Holt, Hopper, Isaac, Kerwin, Kitzman, Leo Wilson, Louderback, Lujan, Luther, McLaughlin, Metcalf, Money, Noble, Olcott, Paul, Richardson, Schatzline, Schoolcraft, Slawson, Spiller, Swanson, Tepper, Toth, Vasut

HB 259

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB259
Authors of Bill HB 259:
Hayes, Bumgarner, Virdell, Pierson
Coauthors of HB 259:
Ashby, Bell, Keith, Cunningham, Curry, Dorazio, Gerdes, Harris, Harrison, Hickland, Holt, Hopper, Isaac, Kerwin, Kitzman, Louderback, Lujan, Luther, McLaughlin, Metcalf, Money, Noble, Olcott, Paul, Richardson, Schatzline, Schoolcraft, Slawson, Spiller, Swanson, Tepper, Toth, Vasut