The Biden administration is doubling down on its plan to implement Universal Gun Registration by using the ATF to change the definition of what it means to be a “dealer” in firearms.
We’ve been talking to you about this for months, but the new 450-page rule has now been finalized and published!
This sweeping change aims to close the so-called “gun show loophole,” a misleading term used by anti-gun activists to push their radical agenda.
Under this new rule, even private individuals who sell just ONE firearm—perhaps to a friend or family member—could be required to obtain a federal firearms license (FFL).
How absurd!
This overreaching rule could turn ordinary Texans into criminals for simply exercising their constitutional rights.
Patriot, the Biden admin is using the ATF to bypass Congress and enforce gun control measures that have failed to pass through the legislative process.
It’s a backdoor attempt to impose Universal Gun Registration under the guise of universal background checks on all gun sales — including private transactions that have traditionally been exempt.
And this was all made possible by the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” spearheaded by John Cornyn, Joe Biden, and Chris Murphy in 2022.
One of the more “fun” losses gun owners are celebrating is the defeat of RINO Glenn Rogers.
Despite only serving two terms in the Texas House, Rogers became one of the biggest critics of Texas Gun Rights.
Why?
TXGR exposed his anti-gun record to his constituents, and they knew exactly what he was doing to take away their Second Amendment rights. Because of this, Glenn HATED us. So much so that he frequently attacked our organization online.
In his biggest fit, Rogers whined about a billboard TXGR bought in his district asking constituents to call his office and tell him to stop supporting Biden’s gun control.
Rogers was so upset that he compared our organization to a cult that “communicate[s] through misinformation.” However, nothing about the billboard is false. Glenn did vote for this in the form of SB 728, which would bring state law into line with part of Biden’s gun control law by dumping millions of Texans’ records into the flawed NICS Gun Ban Registry
When it comes down to it, Rogers only played lip service to the Second Amendment when it made him look good, but never actually fought against the federal government when he had the opportunity to do so.
Luckily, the constituents of HD 60 are getting the real pro-gun leadership they deserve with Mike Olcott, who beat Rogers on election day by over 20 points (Olcott pledged his unwavering commitment to the Second Amendment by returning his Texas Gun Rights candidate survey 100% pro-gun!)
Texans across the state hunger for more Second Amendment champions in office, and Texas Gun Rights is going to work tooth and nail to ensure they are informed about where their candidates stand on gun rights.
Just outside of San Antonio, challenger Alan Schoolcraft is taking on RINO (Republican in Name Only) John Kuempel. The incumbent has served in office since 2011, and his record on gun rights has been a mixed bag at best.
In the last session, Kuempel voted to expand Biden’s gun control in Texas via SB 728. The bill would bring Texas law in line with Biden’s gun-grabbing policies by dumping millions of Texans’ records into the flawed NICS Gun Ban Registry.
This bill is something TXGR has been holding so many Republicans accountable for because many of them, including Kuempel, claim to support the Second Amendment. Then, they travel down to Austin and vote for radical policies that help Joe Biden instead of law-abiding Texans.
Kuempel also joined Democrats to vote for the Texas Gag Act. If this bill had been signed into law, incumbents would have been able to hide their anti-gun record from you, while groups like Texas Gun Rights would have been forced to release their entire list of membership records and donors if they dared to talk about the voting record of a politician.
Texans should be able to hold their lawmakers accountable for bad votes they take. When incumbents work harder to pass bills like HB1585 than they did constitutional carry, Texans are able to see their true colors.
That’s why TXGR is reporting the actions of Kuempel to constituents of HD 44 ahead of the May 28th runoff. It is critical that gun owners hold Kuempel’s feet to the fire for his actions so, win or lose, the winner of the runoff will know that protecting gun rights is a TOP priority of the district.
And there is good news: Kuempel’s challenger, Alan Schoolcraft, has already returned a pro-gun candidate survey to Texas Gun Rights, pledging his unwavering support of the Second Amendment. So if you are a resident of HD 44, call Kuempel at (512) 463-0602 and encourage him to stop supporting gun control and start fighting for gun owners! Then, contact Alan Schoolcraft to thank him for his commitment and encourage him to continue fighting for gun owners.
TXGR will continue to monitor the results of this election as they come in. Stay tuned for which runoff race we will cover next week!
Mitch Little’s victory over Kronda Thimesch in the HD 65 primary has sent ripples through the political landscape. Thimesch, who was removed from office by the voters, faced criticism for her lukewarm support for Second Amendment rights. Despite claiming to be pro-gun, her record suggested otherwise, leaving many constituents disillusioned.
During her time in office, Thimesch’s actions fell short of expectations for a staunch defender of gun freedoms.
Thimesch voted for SB 728 to bring state law into line with part of Biden’s gun control law by dumping millions of Texans’ records into the flawed NICS Gun Ban Registry – instead of allowing Texas to exercise its new authority under the Second Amendment Sanctuary law.
She also took several more anti-gun votes, which you can find here.
However, with Mitch Little’s triumph, there’s newfound optimism among pro-gun constituents.
Mitch Little’s campaign emphasized unwavering support for Second Amendment rights, promising to always defend them. His victory, like others we have highlighted, signals a potential turning point, reflecting voters’ demand for principled and committed defenders of gun freedoms.
As Thimesch exits the stage, Mitch Little’s ascent offers hope for a new era of strong and unwavering pro-gun representation in the district. With his win, constituents anticipate a shift toward policies that better align with their values and priorities, ensuring that their Second Amendment rights are protected and upheld.
Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has launched an investigation into the Biden administration’s National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, which TXGR reported on last week.
In his letter directed to Cassandra Crifasi and Joshua Horwitz, co-founders of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Jordan seeks clarity on the center’s operations and the ramifications of red flag laws. Jordan’s scrutiny of the allocation of taxpayer-funded grants and adherence to legal provisions underscores the imperative of oversight in safeguarding individual liberties.
The National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center, heralded by Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland, “will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others.”
The aforementioned laws allow for the confiscation of firearms from individuals who are subjectively deemed a threat to themselves or others without due process. This is a huge violation of the constitutional rights of gun owners.
Jordan’s concerns regarding the expansive criteria for petitioning extreme risk protection orders and the minimal standard of probable cause required for firearm seizure are paramount. Such laws, if not carefully crafted and executed, erode due process and infringe on individuals’ rights without adequate proof.
Moreover, Jordan’s call for transparency and accountability in the allocation of taxpayer-funded grants and adherence to legal provisions underscores his commitment to oversight and ensuring that government initiatives operate within the bounds of the law.
Jordan’s scrutiny of the Biden administration proves that he understands the reality of these laws and is working to ensure that fundamental liberties are not compromised in the name of “public safety.” By launching an inquiry into the center’s operations and the potential infringement on individual rights, Jordan demonstrates his commitment to protecting civil liberties.
In a time of heightened scrutiny and polarization, Jordan’s scrutiny of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center offers a glimpse of hope for a future where constitutional principles remain steadfastly upheld. His steadfast dedication to protecting individual liberties resonates as a timeless reminder of the importance of preserving the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
Americans recognize this encroachment on their rights. That’s why a recent poll showed that the President’s approval rating on guns dropped below 30%.
Last week, we profiled the race in House District 21, where challenger David Covey is squaring off against anti-gun Speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan.
Now, we are moving north to Texas House District 64, where Andy Hopper is taking on Lynn Stucky.
In recent years, Texas Representative Lynn Stucky has presented himself as a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights. However, his voting record tells a different story. Stucky’s actions in the state legislature have consistently undermined gun rights and left Texans vulnerable to the encroachment of unconstitutional gun control measures.
Stucky’s support for for SB 728, effectively enabling the insertion of Thich codified parts of Joe Biden and John Cornyn’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, stands in direct contradiction to his supposed commitment to gun rights. By aligning himself with this legislation, Stucky facilitated the implementation of policies that erode the Second Amendment freedoms of Texans by funneling more Texans into the massively flawed NICS gun ban database. Despite co-authoring Texas’ “Second Amendment Sanctuary” law in 2021, which was meant to prevent Biden gun control from coming to Texas, Stucky gave Biden what he wanted anyway!
Furthermore, Stucky’s voting history reveals a pattern of watering down pro-gun initiatives. He opposed Constitutional Carry on college campuses, denied expansion of Constitutional Carry to all legal adults, and rejected Constitutional Carry on lands managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority. These actions not only hindered efforts to expand gun rights but also contributed to the creation of a convoluted patchwork of gun laws that confuse law-abiding gun owners.
Moreover, Stucky’s endorsement of the Texas Gag Act, aimed at silencing grassroots organizations like Texas Gun Rights, further underscores his betrayal of conservative values. By voting to suppress free speech and shield his anti-gun record from public scrutiny, Stucky has revealed his true allegiance to partisan interests rather than the constitutional rights of his constituents.
Additionally, Stucky even voted to impeach America’s most pro-gun Attorney General, Ken Paxton.
Texans deserve representatives who will unwaveringly defend their Second Amendment rights. Stucky’s track record of anti-gun votes and alliances with anti-gun Democrats make it clear that he is not the advocate Texans need in their corner. It’s time for voters to hold Stucky accountable for his betrayal and demand true champions of gun rights to represent their interests in Austin.
Luckily for pro-gun Texans, Stucky is in a contentious runoff he might not be able to make through. One of his opponent’s top issues is defending the Second Amendment.
You can read the strong positions Andy Hopper has on defending our Second Amendment rights here. Not only that, Hopper pledged his unwavering commitment to protecting your rights by returning his Texas Gun Rights candidate survey 100% pro-gun.
Texas needs more leaders dedicated to protecting the Second Amendment. That’s why the Texas Gun Right PAC was proud to endorse Andy Hopper, and we wish him the best in May!
Gun owners in the Houston area are celebrating a tremendous victory after they successfully “bagged and tagged” a trophy RINO (Republican In Name Only) during the HD 26 primary election.
Former State Representative Jacey Jetton officially lost his bid for re-election, marking a huge victory for Second Amendment rights. While Jetton claimed to be pro-gun, his record tells a different story.
During his time in office, Jetton supported measures that aligned with Biden’s gun control initiatives, betraying the trust of gun owners in his district. He voted in favor of SB 728, which mirrored parts of Biden’s gun control law by transferring Texans’ records into the flawed NICS Gun Ban Registry. Instead of standing up for Texas’ Second Amendment Sanctuary law, Jetton chose to comply with federal overreach.
Furthermore, Jetton’s actions spoke louder than his words when he voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, one of the most pro-gun figures in America. While pro-gun reforms like the Second Amendment Preservation Act languished, Jetton prioritized a baseless impeachment effort against Paxton.
Adding insult to injury, Jetton supported the Texas Gag Act, a blatant attack on free speech and grassroots advocacy. This legislation would have forced groups like Texas Gun Rights to disclose membership records and donors simply for discussing politicians’ voting records. Thankfully, the Texas Senate rejected this assault on First Amendment rights, but Jetton’s support for such measures revealed his disregard for the constitutional freedoms of Texans.
Texans have spoken loud and clear by rejecting Jacey Jetton at the polls. It’s time for elected officials to listen to their constituents and prioritize defending Second Amendment rights over partisan agendas.
In a move that has alarmed Second Amendment advocates across the nation, Vice President Kamala Harris recently announced the establishment of a Red Flag Resource Center.
This new federal initiative, funded by taxpayers’ money, aims to educate and guide elected officials on how to implement red flag laws within their states.
The announcement follows the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, a legislation spearheaded by Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democrat Senator Chris Murphy, which was hailed by President Joe Biden as the most significant gun control measure in three decades.
Red flag laws, also known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), allow for the temporary confiscation of firearms from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others, often without due process.
Critics argue these laws violate the Constitutional rights of gun owners, as firearms can be seized without a criminal charge or conviction, based solely on allegations. In the era of “cancel culture,” there’s a growing concern that red flag laws could be weaponized by individuals for personal vendettas or political reasons.
Pro-gun organizations, such as Texas Gun Rights, are leading the charge against the encroachment of red flag laws in the Lone Star State. Despite Texas’ strong gun culture, the battle against these laws has faced obstacles from within the ranks of supposed Second Amendment supporters.
Last year, Republican State Representatives Justin Holland and Sam Harless were criticized for their role in helping Democrats stifle legislation aimed at banning red flag laws in Texas by walking out on the House committee vote in the Texas Legislature. This incident underscored the challenges faced by pro-gun advocates in ensuring the protection of gun rights even within traditionally conservative strongholds. Holland’s vote led to a primary challenge from his right by Katrina Pierson, who forced him into a runoff after she pledged her unwavering commitment to the Second Amendment by returning her Texas Gun Rights Candidate Survey 100% pro-gun.
The bipartisan support for red flag laws stems from their portrayal as a common-sense measure to prevent firearms from falling into the hands of dangerous individuals. However, many pro-gun Americans, along with organizations like Texas Gun Rights, argue that these laws are a slippery slope toward broader gun confiscation and an erosion of due process rights. They advocate for alternative measures to address mental health and violence without infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
The Red Flag Resource Center represents a significant federal push to normalize and spread red flag laws across the country, incentivizing state legislatures with millions of dollars to adopt these controversial measures. This initiative has sparked a renewed urgency among pro-gun groups to rally support against what they view as an overt attempt to undermine the Second Amendment.
As the debate over gun control and individual rights continues, the actions of elected officials and the grassroots efforts of organizations like Texas Gun Rights will play a crucial role in shaping the future of gun legislation in the United States.
Since there are 10 Fridays until the May 28th runoff, TXGR has decided to do a “Runoff Race of the Week,” where we come to you with one candidate each week that YOU need to know about.
This week, we are starting off strong with arguably one of the most watched races of this cycle, which is taking place in Texas House District 21. This district is where RINO (Republican In Name Only) Speaker Dade Phelan, and Texas Gun Rights PAC-endorsed candidate, David Covey, are squaring off to see who will advance to the November general election.
Phelan fell points below Covey, who got 46% of the vote in the primary election. This is remarkable, considering Phelan has held this position since 2015 – and this is the first time in modern history an incumbent Speaker was forced into a runoff.
This goes to show that Texans are tired of lawmakers who run on a pro-gun platform and then work with gun-grabbers to take away their rights.
Sadly, the establishment gun lobby loves giving credit to Phelan for pro-gun bills that have passed through the legislature, like Constitutional Carry during his time as speaker (bills that he did NOT lift a finger to help pass). But when it comes to anti-gun bills that have moved under his “leadership,” they have conveniently turned a blind eye to it.
One of the anti-gun bills allowed to advance through Phelan’s House of Representatives since the passage of Constitutional Carry in 2021 is a bill that codifies parts of the Biden-Cornyn Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). This bill would dump millions of Texans’ records into the flawed NICS Gun Ban Registry (SB 728).
This wasn’t too surprising since the committee responsible for gun bills during the 88th legislative session included 4 representatives who were endorsed by the gun control lobby.
He also appointed two weak-kneed Republicans to serve on the aforementioned committee (Justin Holland and Sam Harless), who then walked out on a pro-gun bill that would’ve banned “red flag” gun confiscation laws in Texas.
By walking the vote, committee Democrats had the votes to KILL the bill.
Worse, these same “Republicans” appointed by Phelan helped advance a bill for the gun control lobby that would ban guns for 18-20-year-olds!
So I’m sure it is no surprise to you that the committee never had the votes to pass TXGR priority legislation like the Second Amendment Preservation Act, authored by Rep. Tony Tinderholt.
So when Phelan became the head honcho orchestrating the impeachment of America’s most pro-gun attorney general, Ken Paxton, we couldn’t say we were shocked.
To put the icing on the cake, Phelan’s House advanced the Texas GAG Act, which would prohibit groups like Texas Gun Rights from informing you about a politician’s voting record – unless we publicly disclosed a list of our donors and members.
How absurd!
Thankfully, Phelan’s challenger has vowed to defend the Second Amendment with no compromise by returning his Texas Gun Rights candidate survey 100% pro-gun.
Here’s what Covey said about your rights: “All forms of gun control are a violation of the 2nd Amendment and our God-given rights. I will always defend your gun rights from attack and will fight to eliminate “gun-free zones” in Texas. There is no place more dangerous to be than a gun-free zone.”
We don’t think his stance on gun rights could get any more clear than that!
TXGR will be busy exposing the truth about Phelan’s record on gun rights in the upcoming runoff election. But no matter if you live in HD 21 or not, call Dade Phelan at (409) 745-2777 and urge him to reverse course and start standing up for the Second Amendment!
Once the smoke cleared after the Republican primary in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District on March 5, 2024, incumbent Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and his challenger Brandon Herreraended up as the top two finishers, picking up 45.4% and 24.2% of the vote respectively. Since neither obtained over 50% of the vote, Gonzales and Herrera are headed to a runoff on May 28, 2024.
This runoff is no random political development. It’s the result of Gonzales’s sketchy legislative track record on gun rights over the past two years of his congressional term.
Since being elected to Congress in 2020 to represent Texas’ 23rd district, Gonzales has proven himself to be a loyal minion of the DC ruling class. The Uvalde shooting of May 24, 2022, was when Gonzales demonstrated his true colors on the right to bear arms.
The shooting took place in Gonzales’s district, which naturally had a major impact on him. Instead of soberly processing the situation and focusing on the Uvalde Police Department’s cowardly decision to stand down and not deal with the mass murderer who slaughtered 21 people in a timely manner, Gonzales succumbed to the corporate media’s immediate push for gun control by playing an instrumental role in the passage of the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.”
This gun control package was championed by Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democrat Senator Chris Murphy in the United States Senate, and was ultimately passed with bipartisan support after weak-kneed Republicans like Gonzales got on board.
Joe Biden described the BSCA as “the most significant gun [control] legislation to pass Congress in 30 years.”
This bill secured $750 million in federal funding for state “red flag” gun confiscation order programs that offer no due process protections. Essentially, an individual who is suspected of posing a threat to themselves or others could have their firearms confiscated without even a judicial hearing. Additionally, this bill allocated $300 million to facilitate the entry of millions of juvenile records into NICS and the reporting on them without any regard for due process.
$200 million would also go towards the states to handle their new juvenile records reporting requirement, while $100 million would be allocated towards meeting the “additional resource needs” of the NICS system. Such a move represents a significant expansion of the NICS database, which many gun owners perceive as a step towards establishing a de facto gun registry.
To make matters worse, the BSCA could potentially subject countless lawful gun dealers to criminal penalties. This law establishes new language for a “dealer”, thereby making numerous Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders criminally liable for “dealing without a license” for selling firearms that are later used in criminal acts. The definition of an FFL is broadened to encompass any individual who sells firearms to “predominantly earn a profit” as opposed to anyone who engages in such activity to make a living. In effect, many private gun sales could be subject to criminal penalties.
These among other provisions make the BSCA a gun control abomination that no self-respecting conservative should ever support. Gonzales portrays himself as a staunch conservative, but in a moment of great political tension, he folded like a lawn chair.
Thankfully grassroots conservatives in the Lone Star State did not ignore Gonzales’s Second Amendment treachery.
Gonzales’s challenger, Brandon Herrera, made his name as a firearms manufacturer and host of a YouTube channel that has over 3 million subscribers.
Herrera felt compelled to throw his hat in the political ring because Gonzales had not lived up to his constituents’ pro-gun values during his time in office. Undoubtedly, Herrera is the candidate of the grassroots in this runoff election as he runs on a platform to fully restore the Second Amendment.
Primaries continue serving a useful purpose as a way to expose the lackluster track record of establishment politicians and punish them for their misbehavior at the ballot box. Primary elections are one of the democratic mechanisms that pro-gun activists can still use to keep the political class in line and even knock some of their minions if the right political stars align. These elections should not be overlooked.
The undeniable reality of politics is that when politicians are allowed to legislate in an anti-liberty manner, they will only escalate their efforts to destroy our liberties. Only dedicated grassroots activists who are willing to inflict political pain on bad politicians will restore the sacred liberties that have been stripped from us over the past century.
Brandon Herrera represents the will of Texas grassroots voters who have yearned for no compromise, pro-Second Amendment leadership. The pro-gun YouTuber upsetting Gonzales on March 28 will send a strong message to Texas’ political class that Second Amendment betrayals will no longer be tolerated.
This is one race that pro-gun observers should observe with great interest.
Call Tony Gonzales at (210) 806-9920. Tell him to reverse course and start standing up for the Second Amendment!
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