Just yesterday, July 8th 2021, Governor Abbott of Texas signed into law a bill that makes silencers much more approachable for his constituents.
I’m no legal expert and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night, so I’ll let such experts do the heavy lifting on the explanation.
Long story short: since Congress used its Interstate Commerce authority to create the NFA, intrastate items should be completely immune. From that logic, Texas ha no declared that silencers created within the state and that never leave the state are immune from all regulations. They nullify all state regs, preemptively ban all municipal regulations, and interestingly enough also nullify all Federal regulations too! There are some more nuances to it, but that’s the most interesting part for me. And this law goes into effect on Sept 1, 2021.
Now, you history nerds out there may start getting a little antsy, seeing as how this is the kind of thing that started the Civil War. I’m right there with you. I also remember a few years ago when Kansas tried something very similar. That one ended up getting two guys following their state’s laws convicted in federal court. They ended up getting very light sentences because they were basically a tool the Feds used to flex on KS, but the point was made: Federal law supersedes state’s rights.
The difference this time is that it’s not a relatively popular President in the White House, and standing up to him for purely political reasons will score Abbott big points with the kind of people he needs on his side. Also, it’s Texas.
Will the new law get nullified in court? Will Texas stand behind the defendants in the inevitable case? Will Texas secede? Are we actually going to do a Boog for real? I don’t have any idea, but I’ll be watching this situation like a hawk. You can count on that.
Stay vigilant, and we’ll see you next time.
-S_S
Pro-Gun Millennial 