Looks like the legislature, likely trying to deter theft of metals from infrastructure, inadvertently made it a felony to pick up brass from a range that isn’t yours. Seems to me it would be possible to make a statute to apply to theft of metal necessary for the operation of public works, that would cover most conceivable situations.
8 thoughts on “Careful Picking up Spent Brass in Texas Without Permission”
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I would expect this out of MA, CA, NJ, or NY. But TX pulling this? Really?
The key word is inadvertently. We rarely go much more than ten days without hearing of a church or school or business that has lost electricity or air conditioning due to copper wiring theft. As of a few days ago there was a large strech of freeway that had no lights – wire theft. In an attempt to go after these thieves the legislature tried to extend the law to cover more of them. Unfortunately the wording of the change was very poorly done, and now theft of a penny (copper alloy), soda can (aluminum), or spent casing at the range (brass) is a felony. I’m sure it will be fixed, but the legislature doesn’t meet again untill 2013 (140 days every other year).
Remember the first words of this, THEFT OF……….
So, if you pick up your brass and there are other shooters out there, ask them if they mind if you pick up brass. Unless the range specifically forbids you from picking up brass, this is not theft. You are retrieving your property or collecting brass with permission.
However, if you are on a range without permission and picking up brass, it just went from simple trespass to a felony theft charge.
That is just crazy.I have heard reports of wire theft around where I live here in Cali.I don’t know how these guys can get away with stealing wire from lights along a freeway.Thats some of the reports I have heard around hear also like Texas Jack says.It’s not like it would take them a minute or two to do that.
I’m not familiar with US / TX legislation, but can it be considered theft if the property was abandoned? I thought that’s what applies to pop cans left in public.
I am not surprised that a goofy law intended to address a real problem made it through the process and was signed into law. Our legislature only meets every other year and they go to Austin and fight and fuss and get the hell lobbied out of them for a bit and then in the last few days they pass a lot of stuff into law which is not always without glitches.
Since the folks who are in law enforcement are not all stupid and the DA’s have to get re-elected I would be very surprised if anyone is ever charged with a felony for picking up brass on a range.
It is easy to blast Texas for stupid stuff cause’ we do a lot of stupid stuff but all in all I don’t think this particular new law will have much effect on our quality of life which is damn good.
Texans like to put on a good show, but, come on, they don’t even allow open carry, and their governor is part of the illegal immigration problem.