In a stunning betrayal of grassroots gun owners, the establishment gun lobby is throwing its weight behind a watered-down version of the “One Big Beautiful Bill (BBB),” abandoning the fight to fully repeal the National Firearms Act (NFA) provisions that restrict suppressors and short-barreled firearms.
At the tip of the spear in this betrayal? Texas’s own Senator John Cornyn.
Cornyn Leads Surrender, Echoes Democrat Talking Points
It was Cornyn who first regurgitated Democrat talking points to justify his refusal to fight for the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) and the SHORT Act, claiming the measures violate the Senate’s Byrd Rule and represent “gun policy.”
That’s simply not true.
The Congress that passed the NFA in 1934 made it clear it was a tax statute — not a gun control law. The Supreme Court reaffirmed that in U.S. v. Miller (1939), describing the NFA as a revenue-raising measure. In other words, the inclusion of HPA and SHORT Act language is well within bounds under reconciliation.
Cornyn then proudly retweeted the NRA’s coalition letter supporting the new language that merely zeroes out the unconstitutional $200 NFA tax, while leaving all the draconian registration, regulation, and criminal penalties firmly in place.
But the swamp is doing what it does best: lying, surrendering, and calling it victory.
Even President Trump disagrees.
Shortly after the parliamentarian’s ruling, President Trump took to Truth Social to blast the decision, stating:
“Great Congressman Greg Steube is 100% correct. An unelected Senate Staffer (Parliamentarian), should not be allowed to hurt the Republicans Bill. Wants many fantastic things out. NO! DJT”
Trump’s statement leaves no ambiguity: the Parliamentarian’s ruling should not stand — and Republican leaders have no excuse for complying with it.
A Hollow Victory
Rather than continue fighting for full repeal of NFA restrictions — some of which had already passed the House and made it into the Senate version of the BBB — compromisers are now pivoting.
Not only are they celebrating this half-measure of tax relief, but they’re proudly promoting their support for it in a public letter… giving Cornyn and other Senate Republicans all the political cover they need to walk away from real reform.
Make no mistake: zeroing out the tax is a pro-gun win — but it’s a compromise, not a victory.
Especially when there’s no promise from Cornyn — or any other establishment Republican — to pass the HPA or SHORT Act as standalone legislation.
In truth, the establishment is hoping this move will pacify gun owners, silence the grassroots, and allow them to avoid a floor fight that would expose weak-kneed Republicans for what they are.
Cornyn’s Poll Collapse and the “New” Pro-Gun Mask
Facing an uphill reelection fight against Attorney General Ken Paxton, Senator Cornyn has suddenly discovered the Second Amendment — or at least the importance of paying lip service to it.
But gun owners in Texas haven’t forgotten 2022, when Cornyn was the lead Republican negotiator on Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — a law that opened the floodgates for Red Flag gun confiscation orders and expanded the NICS Gun Ban Registry.
Now, with his poll numbers in free fall, Cornyn is hoping a phony “pro-gun” win will be enough to fool voters.
Gun owners know better.
Though the current version of the BBB has gutted the HPA and SHORT Act provisions, the bill has not yet passed the full Senate. That means there is still time to right this wrong.
Texas Gun Rights is calling on gun owners to IMMEDIATELY contact Senator John Cornyn and Senator Ted Cruz and DEMAND that they urge Vice President JD Vance and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire the partisan hack parliamentarian and override her flawed Byrd Rule ruling.
Only a BBB that includes the FULL SHORT Act and Hearing Protection Act should be acceptable.
Anything less is a betrayal.
Call Now
Call Senator Senator John Cornyn at (202) 224-2934 and Senator Ted Cruz at (202) 224-5922. Tell them:
“Urge Majority Leader Thune to FIRE the Parliamentarian and override the Byrd Rule decision. No compromise. No betrayal. FULL SHORT Act and HPA in the BBB.”
The fight isn’t over — but it soon could be.
Don’t let the establishment gun lobby sell you out without a fight.
