The Texas Senate passed SB 1362 on second reading Wednesday afternoon, a bill to outlaw “red flag” gun confiscation schemes, with a party-line vote of 20-11.

The Lone Star State’s upper chamber drew a line in the sand, as every Republican senator backed the measure to protect Texans from having their firearms snatched without due process, while Democrats stood united in opposition.

But the 20-11 Senate split underscores the stakes: Republicans see SB 1362 as a bulwark against tyranny, while Democrats decry it as a roadblock to their gun control dreams.

The bill now awaits one final procedural hurdle—a third reading in the Senate—before it officially storms into the Texas House, where its fate hangs in the balance.

The companion bill to SB 1362 in the Texas House, HB 162 by Representative Briscoe Cain, sits idle, gathering dust with no traction since being referred to the House State Affairs Committee — in spite of already receiving 40 co-authors.

In years past, most firearms related bills — including last sessions bill to ban red flag laws — was referred to the House Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans Affairs Committee.

This year, that committee is more pro-gun than ever — at least on paper — yet House leadership diverted HB 162 to the much less friendly State Affairs committee who has, which is stacked with moderates and anti-gun Democrats.

If the House doesn’t start acting quickly, this move cannot be seen as anything less than a calculated sabotage effort.

The House has become a legislative quagmire for gun rights advocates, who fear that Speaker Dustin Burrows’ chamber might let this lifeline for liberty slip through its fingers.

The contrast between the chambers couldn’t be starker.

While Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s Senate charges ahead, passing conservative priorities with gusto, the House dawdles, risking the ire of a state that prides itself on its armed heritage.

If the House doesn’t muster the grit to match the Senate’s fire, SB 1362’s triumph could end up as just another notch on the bedpost of good intentions, leaving Texans vulnerable to the next progressive power grab.

Tell your State Representative to BAN “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation laws today.