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Read. Follow. Verify.Texas House Bill 268 criminalizes private firearm sales at gun shows without background checks or sale records
Last action · August 20, 2025: FiledSponsor: Ron Reynolds
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What This Bill Proposed
HB 268 makes it a to knowingly sell a firearm at a gun show without running a check and maintaining a sale record. The bill also requires gun show promoters to provide 30 days' advance notice to local law enforcement, ensure background checks occur on unlicensed sales, and post Department of Public Safety notices, with violations similarly classified as Class A misdemeanors.
Sellers and promoters face criminal penalties for unverified transactions at gun shows, while purchasers must undergo background checks unless they are peace officers or licensed handgun holders.
- The Texas Penal Code governs criminal offenses in the state, including weapons-related violations under Chapter 46. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Gun show sellers
Sellers must conduct background checks and maintain sale records for firearm transactions at gun shows or face Class A misdemeanor charges.
Gun show promoters
Promoters must notify local law enforcement 30 days in advance, ensure background checks occur on unlicensed sales, and post Department of Public Safety notices.
Firearm purchasers at gun shows
Purchasers must undergo background checks unless they qualify for specific exemptions such as being a peace officer or licensed handgun holder.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What constitutes a gun show under this bill?
Who is exempt from the background check requirement when buying a firearm at a gun show?
What are the penalties for violating the new gun show rules?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
1 action- Aug 20, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Gun Show Specific Offenses
The bill creates dedicated criminal offenses for private sellers and promoters at gun shows regarding background checks and sale records, bridging a gap distinct from standard retail dealer regulations.
Connected Entities
Sources
capitol.texas.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz50Current news / social attention level
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