Anti-gun Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives just helped elect Dustin Burrows as Speaker of the House. After two rounds of voting, Burrows secured 85 votes and took the gavel after receiving more votes from Democrats (49) than he did from Republicans (36).
Republican State Representative David Cook received 55 votes from a majority of Republicans (53) and a couple of Democrats (2).
Republicans Sam Harless & Tom Craddick voted for Cook during the first round of voting, but switched their support to Burrows during the second round of voting.
Republicans teaming up with anti-gun Democrats to control the Texas House is just more of the same nonsense we’ve been talking to pro-gun Texans about for the past decade. Only this time, it was front and center in the public spotlight. But it is no worse than when anti-gun Republican Joe Straus first came to power as Speaker of the Texas House back in 2009, after courting the support of a majority of Democrats.
The morale of the story is pro-gun Texans should NOT be discouraged. We’ve overcome these odds many times before by keeping constituents informed of their legislators actions every step of the way.
A decade ago, we were told that there was no way Constitutional Carry would become law in Texas, let alone get a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives. Legislative leadership under the Speakership of both Joe Straus and Dennis Bonnen fought us every step of the way.
But even in the face of hostile legislative leadership in BOTH the House and the Senate, Constitutional Carry became a reality in 2021, thanks in no small part to your activism and support of Texas Gun Rights.
And on the gun issue, Burrows isn’t the best, but he also isn’t the worst.
Burrows initially opposed Constitutional Carry in 2019, referring to it as “criminal carry.” Worse, he even allowed Speaker Bonnen to slander TXGR President Chris McNutt about his actions in Burrows’ district office — all in an effort to take the heat off of himself for killing the bill.
In 2021, Burrows voted AGAINST several pro-gun amendments to HB 1927, but ultimately voted in favor of a decent bill that made Texas the 21st Constitutional Carry state.
In 2023, Burrows, like most Republicans in the legislature, teamed up with Democrats by voting to send more records to the unconstitutional NICS gun ban registry with SB 728. But during the same session, he was a vote AGAINST the “assault weapons” ban and a vote for a ban on red flag laws while serving as a member of the committee responsible for gun legislation.
In 2024, before Burrows announced his run for Speaker, he even worked with Texas Gun Rights to fight the State Fair of Texas concealed carry ban.
All of that is to say it is not all “doom and gloom.” But it also isn’t a cause for celebration.
“When politicians feel the heat, they see the light.” So it is up to you and me to remain vigilant, and demand pro-gun representation from ALL of our representatives in government.
Our mission remains the same no matter who is Speaker and, the fact is, our political opponents did us a favor in some ways. Alexander Hamilton once said, “If we must have an enemy at the head of government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible.”
With Burrows in the Speaker’s chair, you and I can rally even more pro-gun Texans to hold his feet to the fire without any equivocation.
