Latest News

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has taken a financial beating in the last few years owing to corruption allegations and external pressure being placed by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

In the latter case, James kicked off her campaign against the NRA in 2020 by filing a lawsuit against it, alleging that then-NRA Executive Wayne LaPierre used millions of dollars in donor money to enjoy a lavish array of personal benefits that had little to do with the organization’s original mission. James went as far as to call the NRA a “terrorist organization”  as she undertook a legal effort to bleed the establishment gun lobby dry.

Naturally, the NRA has been compelled to spend at least $100 million in legal defense to stave off James’ legal crusade. According to a report by Stephen Gutowski of The Reload, this legal ordeal combined with the reputational damage the NRA has taken due to its corruption allegations, has seen its total funding take a complete nose dive.

Gutowski observed the following about the precarious state of the NRA’s fundraising:

“The NRA’s war chest has a bit more than a fifth of the money it spent in the 2016 election and a bit more than a third of what it did in the 2020 election, according to its most recent FEC filings. Those filings were from the end of 2023, which gives the NRA about nine months to try and fundraise to close those gaps by the election.”

Moreover, in 2023, internal sources and documents confirmed that the NRA had lost over a million members — going from a 2018 peak of roughly 5.5 million to close to 4.3 million. Owen “Buz” Mills, a veteran NRA board member who had routinely butted heads with NRA to brass since allegations of corruption emerged in 2019, claims that the organization’s membership has shrunk by another million, currently standing at about 3 million.

To make matters worse, the NRA’s political spending — what it’s most known for — plummeted from $54,398,558 in 2016 to $29,355,400 in 2020, per a breakdown of the gun organization’s spending provided by OpenSecrets.

For its part, the NRA is more focused on maintaining relationships with politicians so they can continue having a seat at the table in Austin and have influence on politics. This lies in stark contrast to the likes of Texas Gun Rights, an organization that has the ostensive mission of “mobilizing Texans to restore and defend the Second Amendment without compromise.”

TXGR is focused more on pressuring politicians and holding them accountable for their legislation behavior. TXGR, unlike the NRA, is willing to ruffle the feathers of the political establishment and move gun policy in a no compromise direction.

Making friends at the Texas State Capitol is not one of TXGR’s principal objectives. As TXGR’s President Chris McNutt eloquently noted, “If you’re in politics for friends, you’re in the wrong industry. Get a dog.”

In the Texan context, the NRA acts as an incumbent protection organization. For example, the NRA has endorsed numerous fixtures of the Austin political establishment such as House Speaker Dade Phelan and State Rep. Glenn Rogers.

On February 20, 2024, the NRA’s Political Victory Fund emailed its members announcing its endorsement of Glenn Rogers despite his well-documented shortcomings. In the email The NRA gushed about Rogers’ supposed pro-gun track record declaring that Rogers “has an outstanding and proven record of support for your Second Amendment rights in the Texas Legislature and is the ONLY NRA-PVF endorsed candidate in this race.”

Moreover, the NRA stressed that “Attempts by third-party, dark-money organizations to distort Glenn Rogers’s policy positions on gun issues are intentionally misleading and dishonest.”

Effectively, the NRA is endorsing candidates that no compromise organizations such as Gun Owners of America and TXGR are actively opposing. The NRA  is simply not holding Republicans accountable for their legislative malfeasances. Worst of all, the NRA isn’t even bothering to consider pro-gun challengers to these incumbents that have the total support of the pro-gun grassroots.

Establishment politicians’ track records do not lie. Rogers and his ilk have played an instrumental role in advancing the failed impeachment effort against Attorney General Ken Paxton. Moreover, these elected officials, especially Rogers and Troxclair, pulled the lever for SB 728, which would create a registry for adults who had mental health issues when they were minors. This bill was originally designed to have Texas law align with the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.”

The BSCA was signed into law by President Joe Biden, with Second Amendment sellout Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) playing an integral role in securing the passage of this anti-gun bill.  Under House Speaker Phelan’s watch, a gun control committee made up of 7 Republicans and 6 Democrats was created to kill certain pro-gun bills such as the Second Amendment Preservation Act (HB 5153) and a bill to ban the implementation of “red flag” gun confiscation laws in Texas (HB 1894).

The NRA’s endorsement of these politicians just demonstrates its tolerance for politicians who have suspect records on gun rights. It’s worth reiterating that the NRA is more concerned with optics and gaining access to elite political circles, not trying to make concrete advancements in gun rights. Occasionally, the NRA and its establishment allies may throw gun owners scraps, but that’s often the result of grassroots activists placing pressure on the political class to do the right thing,

Things are changing though. Years of internal corruption and unprincipled political behavior have taken its toll on the NRA, as evidenced by its dwindling membership and mounting financial issues. In light of these issues, groups such as the National Association for Gun Rights and state affiliates such as TXGR have stepped up to fill the void of a network of no compromise gun organizations that will hold politicians accountable during election and legislative seasons.

The various successes of NAGR, such as the passage of Constitutional Carry in multiple red states, has put no compromise lobbying on the map nationwide. Gun owners who are serious about taking the fight to Gun Control Inc. and rolling back gun grabs, should look towards NAGR and TXGR has vehicles for change.

The days of entrusting the defense of the Second Amendment to the likes of weak-kneed organizations like the NRA are long over.

February 20, 2024 

Under the Biden Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has ramped up its enforcement actions against firearm retailers to an unprecedented level, significantly increasing the revocation of Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs) under a stringent “zero-tolerance” policy. This aggressive stance towards minor clerical errors not only threatens small businesses but also infringes upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans to access firearms.

In 2023 alone, the ATF revoked 157 FFLs, a drastic rise from 88 in 2022 and a mere five in the latter half of 2021. This spike is part of a broader campaign that has seen 80 FFLs voluntarily surrender their licenses to avoid the burdensome process of rectifying often minor errors. Moreover, the ATF’s decision to publicly “name-and-shame” affected businesses adds insult to injury, tarnishing their reputations over issues that typically involve simple paperwork mistakes.

The implications of this policy extend far beyond the individual businesses impacted. By effectively weaponizing the ATF, the current administration undermines the cooperative relationship that has historically existed between firearm retailers and regulatory bodies—a relationship crucial for preventing illegal gun trafficking. The majority of leads on suspected illegal activities traditionally come from the retailers themselves, who are now being alienated and punished under these harsh measures.

This punitive approach marks a departure from previous practices where the ATF would guide retailers in correcting minor errors, fostering a regulatory environment focused on compliance rather than punishment. The shift towards a “zero-tolerance” policy reflects a politicization of the ATF, with significant consequences for the firearm industry and the Second Amendment rights of Americans.

The introduction of the Reining in Federal Licensing Enforcement (RIFLE) Act by U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann (R-Kan.) represents a legislative effort to curb the ATF’s overreach and protect FFLs from unjust closure. This proposed legislation seeks to redefine what constitutes a “willful violation,” ensuring that minor clerical errors do not lead to draconian penalties. It aims to restore a fair and constructive relationship between firearm retailers and the ATF, emphasizing the importance of supporting lawful businesses rather than dismantling them through politically motivated policies.

The “zero-tolerance” policy and the ATF’s aggressive enforcement tactics highlight the need for a balanced and rational approach to firearms regulation—one that respects the rights of law-abiding citizens and the businesses serving them. As the debate over gun control continues, it is crucial to recognize the role of responsible firearm retailers in supporting public safety and the constitutional rights of Americans, rather than treating them as adversaries in the fight against crime.

Click here to tell your elected officials in Congress to ABOLISH THE ATF!

 

 

 

 

February 19, 2024 

Major credit card companies such as American Express, Mastercard, and Visa recently implemented a special merchant code to track firearm and other firearm-related purchases taking place in California.

Per a CBS News report, this new merchant code will be used to stay in compliance with a “California law that will allow banks to potentially track suspicious gun purchases and report them to law enforcement.”
This move is not an isolated incident. Initially, leading credit card companies embraced to subsequently walk back from plans to use a new merchant code to track firearms and other purchases connected to firearms nationally.

These efforts by getting credit card companies to track gun sales have been several years in the making.

Back in September 2022, Visa originally folded to pressure from civilian disarmament organizations and New York Democrats by reaching an agreement to single out flag gun and ammunition purchases through the merchant code. The Associate Press also reported that Mastercard and other credit card heavyweights have agreed to single out firearm sales.

On March 2, 2023, Breitbart News published a report highlighting Discover was expected to start tracking firearm and ammunition purchases via the new merchant category code (MCC) in April 2023. At first glance, it looked like Gun Control Inc. was about to open up another avenue to regularly attack gun rights.

However, a week later, Mastercard and Visa changed their position and announced that they would not follow through with their plan of tracing ammunition and firearms purchases for the time being.

However, these new anti-gun schemes appear to be taking a local turn with credit card companies now planning to use a merchant code to track firearms and similar sales in order to stay in compliance with the newly passed law in California. According to a Washington Examiner report, the  California law will go into effect in 2025.

North Carolina Congressman Richard Hudson — a seasoned champion of the Second Amendment —  sounded off on the plan to trace firearm purchases, declaring, “Once again, credit card companies are attempting to track the information of lawful gun owners. This is yet another egregious ATTACK by the Far Left on Americans’ Second Amendment rights to bear arms.”

The cold hard truth is that California remains a trend setter for gun control and other freedom-destroying policies nationwide. It’s naive to treat the passage of any gun control law in California as some regional idiosyncrasy that’s just confined to the Golden State. Such legislation will invariably be passed in other blue states to later make its way to red states if gun owners slack off in terms of their vigilance.

In Texas, financial institutions were prohibited from using merchant codes to track the purchase of firearms, ammunition and firearms accessories thanks to the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act (HB ) that was passed during the 2023 legislative session.

But before the legislature had an opportunity to act on this latest threat, Attorney General Ken Paxton has been resisting the “woke” corporations and their attempts to subvert traditional freedoms in the Lone Star State.

When this credit card company-led gun control push was first taking off, Paxton signed a multi-state letter spearheaded by Montana and Tennessee that was directed to the CEOs of American Express, Mastercard, and Visa.

Paxton and other attorneys general in red states were particularly concerned with Gun Control Inc.’s and the International Organization for Standardization scheme to target law-abiding gun owners by setting up a merchant category code to track purchases at gun stores.

Paxton’s office was particularly concerned with how the code was structured and its vague wording. It argued that this code did nothing to promote public safety. Instead, the AG’s office believed that this code was designed to gather data on millions of lawful Americans who carry out transactions at firearm stores and to even keep tabs on merchants. Essentially, it would function as a mass surveillance program that could result in the violation of millions of Americans’ privacy rights.

Moreover, Paxton’s office feared that this system could potentially infringe Americans’ constitutional freedoms such as “hacking this confidential information and misusing the data to punish law-abiding gun owners merely for exercising their 2nd Amendment rights.”

The letter signed by the red state attorneys general read as follows:

“As our respective States’ chief legal officers, we are tasked with protecting the constitutional rights of our citizens, defending our consumers from privacy intrusions and other abuses, and enforcing antitrust laws. Accordingly, we share our concerns and ask that you take immediate action to comport with our consumer protection laws and respect the constitutional rights of all Americans.”

It’s good to see Texas standing up against corporate gun control. Future leaders in the Lone Star State will continue to have to be aware of this issue because the gun control crowd does not rest plain and simple.

While it’s natural for gun owners to focus their attention on gun control coming from state actors, one cannot just ignore gun control schemes coming from the corporate sector.

Gun Control Inc. is relentless when it comes to how it advances gun control. When it gets shut out from the federal level and even some state legislatures, the gun controllers will then proceed to use private vehicles to push their freedom-destroying schemes.

To address these unique political challenges, tough legislative decisions will have to be made. This could entail the use of prudential state power to rein in corporations that lend their services to Gun Control Inc’s unholy agenda.

At this critical moment in American history, half-measures simply won’t cut it in containing the tyrannical Left.

February 14, 2024 

Of all gun lobbies, the National Rifle Association has the most name recognition among American households. When the topic of gun policy is brought up, the NRA is the first organization that usually comes to mind.

Founded in 1871, the NRA initially served as an organization that taught millions of Americans basic marksmanship. Over the past century-and-a-half, the NRA was able to build a broad base of support among competitive shooters, gun collectors, hunters, law enforcement, and other gun aficionados.

During its initial stages, the NRA mostly focused on teaching millions of Americans on how to properly use firearms. It established a reputation as an organization that sponsored various programs dealing with firearm safety for children and adults. The NRA’s “Eddie Eagle” program for K-12 children is among its most famous.

However, over the course of the 20th century, the NRA began adding a political dimension to its activism.  During the Prohibition era of the 1930s, the United States was mired by organized crime. Notable mafia outfits and criminals equipped with machine guns captured national attention and prompted the political class to take action at the federal level. At the time, the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed the National Firearms Act and the 1938 Gun Control Act — the first gun control measures passed at the federal level.

In a Time article titled “When the NRA Supported Gun Control”, Arica Coleman observed that the NRA played an instrumental role in drafting these gun control measures. These gun control laws imposed heavy taxation and regulatory requirements on firearms such as machine guns, sawed-off shotguns, and silencers — firearms that were generally associated with organized crime at the time. Additionally, these laws required gun vendors and owners to register their firearms with the federal government.

During a testimony before Congress in 1934, then-President Karl T. Frederick gave the greenlight to these unprecedented gun control measures, stating the following:

“I have never believed in the general practice of carrying weapons. I do not believe in the general promiscuous toting of guns. I think it should be sharply restricted and only under licenses.”

The 1960s were a tumultuous decade filled with mass riots in the summer of 1967 and high-profile assassinations of public figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. This wave of gun violence spurred Congress to build upon New Deal-era gun control measures through the passage of the 1968 Gun Control Act.

This law featured minimum age and serial number mandates, and broadened the scope of gun prohibitions to individuals who are mentally ill and are addicted to drugs. On top of that, this legislation placed limits on the shipping of firearms across state lines by only allowing federally licensed dealers to engage in such activity.

The NRA ostensibly road-blocked the strictest part of the law, which would have created a national registry of all firearms and licenses for all individuals who wanted to carry a firearm. Though the gun organization was not completely disturbed by the passage of this legislation as evidenced by then-NRA Executive Vice President Franklin Orth revealing in an interview in American Rifleman — the NRA’s premier magazine — that despite several parts of the 1968 Gun Control Act being restrictive in nature, “the measure as a whole appears to be one that the sportsmen of America can live with.”

After the NRA established itself as a political force in the 1970s, it made a point of being an active participant in national policy making, even to the point of compromising on critical gun legislation.

For example, the NRA was able to pass the 1986 Firearm Owners’ Protection Act albeit with a catch: The NRA agreed to a compromise that would result in a prohibition on the future sale of machine guns.

During the 1990s, a renewed push for gun control took place under then-President Bill Clinton’s watch. While the passage of the Brady Act of 1993, which established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, was largely perceived as an anti-gun Democrat project, groups like the NRA have boasted about their role in passing said legislation.

Outgoing NRA CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre has previously praised his organization for the role it allegedly played in the establishment of NICS.  “The best kept secret is that the national instant check system wouldn’t exist at all if it weren’t for the NRA,” he claimed.

In a similar vein, CNN pundit S.E. Cupp observed that “we only have background checks because the NRA fought for them as opposed to a five-day waiting period. The NICS system exists because the NRA helped get it passed.”

Curiously, the NRA initially opposed the Brady Act, but ended up being one of the key actors in passing it after the NRA put forward multiple amendments. At first, the Brady Act featured a provision to establish a five-day waiting period to purchase a gun. The NRA ended up agreeing to compromise language that ultimately created the NICS Gun Ban Registry while scrapping the waiting period.

The NRA has also worked with the likes of former Sen. Harry Reid (R-NV), whom LaPierre has described as a “true champion of the Second Amendment.” The NRA Executive VP added that “no one has been a stronger advocate for responsible gun ownership than him [Reid].” Due to outrage from no compromise pro-gun constituencies, the NRA ended up not endorsing Reid in 2010 after much speculation that the organization would have backed the then-Senate Majority Leader.

The NRA would also be active during gun control debates in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre. Two Senators Joe Manchin (R-WV) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), who enjoyed A ratings from the NRA at the time, introduced legislation that would mandate universal background checks for commercial firearm sales. The aforementioned Brady Act federally imposed background checks for gun purchases from licensed dealers since 1994. The Toomey-Manchin bill would have background checks extended to gun shows and all Internet sales.

No compromise gun organizations like the National Association for Gun Rights, warned about Manchin secretly negotiating with the NRA to hammer out a compromise gun control bill.  In an email directed to NAGR members,  President Dudley Brown declared the following:

“It’s happening. . . . According to Politico, Sen. Joe Manchin is in secret negotiations with unnamed N.R.A. officials to sell out our gun rights. I’ve warned you from the beginning that our gravest danger was an inside-Washington driven deal.” In the email, Brown damningly referred to the deal as “the Manchin-N.R.A. compromise bill.”

Because of the pressure from NAGR and other no compromise gun rights organizations, the NRA was compelled to publicly distance itself from the Toomey-Manchin gun control bill, thereby scuttling this legislation.

In 2022, gun control advocates were able to score a victory with the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). The bill changed the definition of what a “gun seller” is. More specifically, the BSCA made changes to the text of Section 921(a) of Title 18, United States Code. The definition was changed from an individual “engaged in the business” of selling guns from “with the principal objective of livelihood and profit” to a less clear description of “to predominantly earn a profit.”

Furthermore, the BSCA allocated funds through the Department of Justice’s State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) to states in order to incentivize them to start implementing “red flag” gun confiscation orders.

The BSCA was ultimately signed into law on June 25, 2022. It enjoyed the support of 15 Republicans in the US Senate. Several of these senators enjoyed A+ ratings — Mitch McConnell (R-KY) & John Cornyn (R-TX) — and A ratings — Mitt Romney (R-UT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), & Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — from the NRA, respectively.

With Biden’s recent 1300 page directive given to the ATF, the NICS Gun Ban Registry is on its way to becoming a full-blown Universal Gun Registration scheme, thanks to the NRA.

Overall, the NRA has positioned itself as the most renowned gun lobby in the US. However, its track record mostly demonstrates its penchant for trying to occupy the national spotlight as opposed to passing clean pro-gun legislation and legitimately rolling back gun control. Grassroots gun rights activists have increasingly referred to the NRA’s acronym of standing for “Negotiating Rights Away,” rather than National Rifle Association.

As a result, a vacuum has emerged for no compromise organizations to fill such as NAGR at the national level and state-based organizations like Texas Gun Rights. In doing so, these organizations have worked to pass legislation such as Constitutional Carry, which has often been opposed by regional NRA lobbyists, even though they inevitably always swoop in to take credit during bill signing ceremonies. Gun owners looking for genuine change in gun policy are largely gravitating to the two aforementioned organizations as the NRA itself is going through a number of internal struggles.

February 14, 2024 

In an unprecedented move, major professional sports leagues, including the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL, NASCAR, and the NCAA, have taken a collective stance urging Congress to enact stricter gun control by reauthorizing the Undetectable Firearms Act (UFA).

This plea for legislative action contrasts sharply with the position of 74 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who, on February 1, implored Speaker Mike Johnson to resist any permanent reauthorization of the UFA.

The House members’ letter to Speaker Johnson underscored the critical importance of rejecting a permanent reauthorization or expansion of the UFA, pointing out the opportunity for the Republican conference to demonstrate its commitment to America by standing firm against such measures. The letter highlighted concerns that the continuation of the UFA would allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to redefine terms, thereby extending the scope of firearms regulation under the Act.

The Undetectable Firearms Act, initially passed in 1988, was born out of apprehension surrounding the introduction of polymer-framed handguns like the Glock 17. Misunderstandings about these firearms’ detectability fueled fears they would elude metal detectors, becoming the preferred weapon of criminals. However, the Act was ultimately modified to exclude any adverse effects on existing handguns, following a compromise.

Today’s technology, particularly 3D printing, has brought new challenges and opportunities to firearm manufacturing. The UFA now hinders the production of smaller, lighter, and more efficient handguns by imposing weight requirements that do not align with the current demand for easily concealable firearms. This demand has been further amplified by the Supreme Court’s decision in NYSRPA v. Bruen, highlighting the need for legislative adaptability in the face of evolving firearm technology and consumer preferences.

Moreover, advancements in security technologies, such as AI detection and sensor-based body scanning, have significantly reduced the relevance of the UFA as a public safety tool. The Act, as it stands, serves more as an outdated mechanism of gun control than an effective measure of public safety.

Renewing the UFA not only perpetuates unnecessary fear-mongering about “ghost guns” — a term concocted by gun control advocates to describe homemade firearms that lack serial numbers — but also places undue regulatory burdens on individuals engaged in the longstanding American tradition of gunsmithing. This tradition, deeply embedded in the nation’s history, faces unwarranted restrictions under the guise of addressing a non-existent public safety issue.

The professional sports leagues’ call for the UFA’s reauthorization, while perhaps well-intentioned, overlooks the Act’s implications for law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their right to build firearms. It fails to acknowledge that such measures will not effectively prevent crime or save lives but will instead infringe upon the freedoms of Americans under the pretext of enhancing public safety.

As gun rights advocates and lawmakers push back against the permanent reauthorization of the UFA, it is essential to recognize that the path to genuine public safety lies not in restrictive gun control laws but in respecting the rights of individuals and addressing the root causes of crime. The battle over the UFA’s future underscores the ongoing debate between safeguarding public safety and preserving individual freedoms, a debate that will undoubtedly continue as the nation navigates the complexities of gun control legislation.

Tell your lawmakers to OPPOSE the UFA TODAY!

 

February 6, 2024 

2024 is bound to be another year filled with politically explosive developments as the presidential cycle is well underway.

Rest assured, gun rights will be a major issue for the rest of the year as politicians find different ways to attack the Second Amendment. Though it would be a mistake to assume that the threats to the right to bear arms are solely coming from the DC Swamp.

Plenty of state legislatures are filled with politicians who openly hate the Second Amendment and/or work behind the scenes to destroy it. Hence, the importance of having state-based groups ready to push back against anti-gun schemes.

Since its founding in 2014, Texas Gun Rights has answered the call of grassroots conservatives in the Lone Star State who yearn for a no compromise gun lobby who will defend their interests at every step of the way. For its part, TXGR is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization that does not endorse, support, or stand against any candidate running for political office.

TXGR is mostly focused on informing gun owners and liberty activists in the Lone Star State of their candidate’s positions when it comes to firearms issues. TXGR’s principal objective is to hold politicians accountable and expand individuals’ right to defend themselves, their families, and their property without having to beg the government for permission to do so.

TXGR has set itself apart from other organizations through its grassroots initiatives where members can sign petitions, postcards, letters, send emails, faxes, make phone calls, and personally visit their state legislators to hold them accountable and pressure them to restore the right to bear arms.

TXGR is no middling outfit; it has successfully mobilized more than 500,000 members and supporters across Texas while adovcating for gun rights.

From the outset, TXGR positioned itself as the premier no compromise pro-gun organization in the Lone Star State. It effectively filled a void that was long overdue in a political environment marked by complacency and political scheming designed to undermine gun rights. The first issue that TXGR pushed for was the passage of Constitutional Carry — the simple concept that any lawful individual should be allowed to carry a firearm without having to beg the government for permission.

The fight to bring Constitutional Carry to Texas was no walk in the park. The establishment was quick to put down Constitutional Carry bills each time during the legislative sessions they were introduced. This was the norm from the early 2010s up until 2021. Throughout the course of this fight, TXGR and gun owners were able to pick up solid victories such as the passage of Open Carry and Campus Carry in 2015 — two issues in which Texas lagged behind most pro-gun red states for several decades.

Along the journey, TXGR was able to forge alliances with pro-gun champions such as former State Representatives Jonathan Stickland, Matt Rinaldi, and Kyle Biedermann to constantly push for Constitutional Carry and other pro-gun reforms. As time passed, TXGR gradually built a grassroots army that became a powerful force in Texas politics. Such grassroots pressure played an integral role in compelling disgraced House Speaker Dennis Bonnen to not seek re-election in 2020 — a good omen for gun rights in the following year.

TXGR finally achieved one of its long-standing goals after it passed Constitutional Carry in 2021 following years of disappointment and political intrigue. However, TXGR’s work was far from finished after securing the passage of Constitutional Carry. Since then, it established an educational and legal arm in the Texas Gun Rights Foundation.

TXGRF aims to educate and inform Texans on the importance of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution and Article 1 Section 23 of the Texas Constitution and provide them the tools and knowledge needed to defend their right to bear arms.

By using educational materials, speaking engagements, and training programs, TXGRF empowers gun rights activists to effectively mobilize and shield the right to bear arms from the devious political actors who threaten to eviscerate it. On top of that, TXGRF is committed to defending the right to bear arms in the courts and look to restore freedoms that the political class has taken away from citizens over the years.

In effect, TXGRF will use TXGR’s no-compromise tactics in the courtroom to protect the freedoms enshrined by the Second Amendment to guarantee that lawful gun owners are protected from any violations of their rights by power-hungry bureaucrats and gun-grabbing politicians.

TXGR also has a political action committee (PAC) that directly handles political work. Unlike establishment gun lobbies, who are more content with schmoozing with the ruling class and maintaining the status quo, TXGR PAC is committed to holding politicians’ feet to the fire and directly advocating for pro-gun candidates and against anti-gun candidates.

The aim of both TXGR & TXGR PAC are to make the Texas State Legislature into a bastion for pro-gun legislation that bans red flag gun confiscation, abolishes gun-free zones, and nullifies unconstitutional gun control laws at the federal level, among other reforms. The fight to restore gun rights is only just beginning.

As American politics grows more polarized and the calls for greater state involvement in people’s lives grow stronger, organizations such as TXGR are more critical than ever.

There’s a dearth of political leadership and organizations that are willing to stick behind principles in this era of mass deceit and political expediency.

No matter the political circumstances, TXGR can always be counted on to defend the rights of gun owners.

 

February 1, 2024

In the world of Second Amendment activism, one can always expect all manner of attacks from members of the political establishment. It’s the nature of the beast in a cut-throat political enterprise where expediency and backstabbing are the order of the day.

Since it was founded in 2014, Texas Gun Rights (TXGR) has known this all too well. Its staunch commitment to the Second Amendment has earned it many enemies both on the Left and the Right. The latter has been a fascinating development to observe over the course of TXGR’s rise to prominence as the #1 no compromise gun lobby in the Lone Star State.

TXGR’s willingness to take Republicans to task for their anti-gun ways and/or their inability to defend the Second Amendment has made many a party hack livid. One could write encyclopedia-length articles highlighting establishment Republicans’ long list of attacks against TXGR.

However, one recent attack launched against TXGR merits considerable attention: Mark McCaig, a well-established Texas lawyer and the publisher of a faux conservative blog, The Texas Voice:

In an attack piece titled “Affiliate of Never-Trumper Led ‘Little Nutjob’ Gun Group Engages in Texas Primaries,” McCaig tries to paint TXGR as a group with Trump Derangement Syndrome (more on that fake news later).

But McCaig’s blog is known for being the mouthpiece of the uniparty in Austin, primarily Dade Phelan, who serves as the Speaker of the Texas House. Phelan is infamous for empowering anti-gun Democrats by appointing them to chair powerful committees — and for leading a sham impeachment of Ken Paxton, America’s most pro-gun Attorney General. If you ever want to know Phelan’s position on something, one only needs to read McCaig’s blog.

McCaig, himself, is a vile creature. Groups such as Young Conservative of Texas (YCT) have previously condemned McCaig for some of the subversive activity he has engaged in. The irony here is that McCaig used to be a former YCT member. Nevertheless, he has used YCT ‘s name to attack conservative candidates through a PAC he used to run — Conservative Voters or Texas.

Worse, McCaig used to work closely with the late-Steve Mostyn — a mega-donor for Democratic causes — at his personal injury law firm, and used the resources from this gig to continue attacking conservative legislators (as if personal injury lawyers didn’t already have a bad wrap!)

McCaig is for all intents and purposes a Nikki Haley-style Republican at best — who is more than willing to support Republicans who routinely sell out their conservative constituents for political expediency.

But McCaig’s current outrage stems from TXGR deploying mailers, billboards, websites, text messages and digital ads across the state, letting Texans know about the sketchy voting behavior of their representatives in the Texas House (primarily those of Phelan and his top lieutenants — which annoyed McCaig BIGLY).

In McCaig’s hit piece on TXGR, he conveniently fails to mention that President Trump is backing TXGR PAC-endorsed David Covey against Dade Phelan. Trump even noted Covey’s commitment to gun rights when he gave him his “complete and total endorsement.”

The primary bill at the center of the “controversy” with McCaig and RINO Republicans is Senate Bill 728 from 2023, a bill suffused with nasty anti-Second Amendment provisions.

For example, SB 728 effectively complies with the Biden-Cornyn Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) by funneling tens of thousands of juvenile records into the NICS gun ban registry, irrespective of criminal record and a person’s return to normal mental health.

It works in a retroactive manner, and otherwise law-abiding people could be deprived of their gun rights without even knowing it.

NICS is notorious for having a 94% false positive rate on firearms background check denials. False positives occur when lawful citizens’ names get mixed and matched with criminals who share similar names, which results in them being unjustly stripped of their gun rights.

For that reason, NICS needs to be abolished, not reformed, much less expanded upon. TXGR has distinguished itself from the rest of the gun rights organizations in Texas by opposing SB 728 — and being the only organization that’s calling for the abolition of NICS.

“No Compromise” isn’t just a hollow slogan for TXGR.

Sadly, the political establishment won after the Texas Senate passed SB 728 by a vote of 31-0 and the Texas House did so by a 116-28 margin.

Of course, the NRA has endorsed Speaker Phelan and many of the legislators who supported SB 728, giving them cover and zero accountability. Much like McCaig with The Texas Voice, the NRA exists to provide cover and prop up establishment Republicans no matter how suspect their voting records are.

Which brings us back to President Trump. Neither National Association for Gun Rights nor Texas Gun Rights is a “Never Trump organization.”

President Trump certainly was not perfect on gun rights, as demonstrated by his administration’s decision to ban bump stocks and expand NICS — which was noted by NAGR president Dudley Brown in his personal tweets.

But Trump seemingly represents the best alternative to defeat the Biden regime’s gun ban agenda — the agenda that Phelan and his cronies like McCaig are unwilling to fight.

The Biden regime has been relentless with respect to its efforts to undermine the Second Amendment be it through legislative means or executive fiat. Biden and company have already granted a rogue ATF the power to unilaterally impose gun control through underhanded means.

Thus far, the Biden-ATF has made attempts to impose a partial “assault weapons ban” and universal gun registration through arbitrary regulatory orders and procedures.

The Biden-ATF is essentially functioning like any unaccountable bureaucracy by imposing policies that are not subject to democratic scrutiny or pushback at the polls.

So flaws notwithstanding, Trump is still politically useful in opposing gun control. One can acknowledge this nuance of the current political reality and still criticize political figures when they slip up.

And when it comes to perfection, we know that only Jesus Christ is perfect.

Texas Gun Rights is not loyal to any of the two parties, especially the anti-gun uniparty that resides in the DC & Austin Swamp. And TXGR is certainly not in the business of schmoozing with the ruling class or selling out gun owners.

We should never forget that TXGR’s mission is to mobilize pro-gun Texans in defense of the Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 23 of the Texas Constitution. Period.

January 31, 2024 

Wake up and smell the gunpowder!

Joe Biden, backed by the deep pockets of Michael Bloomberg and George Soros, is unleashing an all-out war on gun rights in Texas.

First, Biden’s ATF is relentlessly hammering gun owners with nonsensical rule changes, bans on gun accessories and a devious universal gun registration plot by redefining what constitutes as a “dealer in firearms.”

This bypasses Congress and state legislatures, striking at the heart of our gun ownership rights.

But it gets worse.

The gun control lobby is feeling empowered after Bloomberg-funded “Everytown for Gun Control” outspent the NRA 10-1 (in their own backyard) when they flipped Virginia “blue” in November…

Now, along with the Giffords gun control group, these gun control tyrants are doubling down on Texas.

That’s why I need you to sign your pledge to “Stop the Blue Wave” RIGHT AWAY.

Let’s be clear: we don’t believe Texas is going blue this election cycle… unless gun owners sit on the sidelines.

But we know these Bloomberg & Soros-funded groups are counting on replicating the “Beto Wave” of 2018 — when a dozen down-ballot anti-gun candidates for the state legislature flipped their districts blue.

The anti-gun Left understands that they don’t need full control of the Texas Legislature to ramrod their radical agenda in Austin.

If you recall, the Republican-controlled legislature already betrayed gun owners by voting for SB 728 – a disastrous expansion of the NICS gun ban registry — earlier this year.

So, we’re making 2024 our battleground.

In fact, Texas Gun Rights is launching an unprecedented mobilization effort ahead of the March primary and November elections.

We strongly believe discipline begins at home.

That’s why our “all-in” budget for the Republican primary — to hold supposedly “pro-gun Republicans” accountable for their anti-gun votes — is bigger than it’s ever been.

But this spending is pivotal to our strategy of ensuring that protecting gun rights against the radical Left remains a TOP theme going into November… to defeat the Biden gun ban agenda, and to ensure we have a tidal wave of support to push our pro-gun legislative agenda moving into 2025.

In addition to direct mail, email, text message campaigns, and digital ads, Texas Gun Rights has been busy launching websites like GlennRogersGunControl.com — exposing the anti-gun records of Republicans across the state.

We even have plans to launch billboards, TV, and radio commercials if resources permit.

But I need to know you have my back.

Please sign your pledge to “Stop the Blue Wave” RIGHT AWAY.

Your pledge marks your commitment to help Texas Gun Rights fight back against the Biden gun control agenda.

But after you sign your pledge, I hope you’ll consider your most generous financial contribution ever to help us implement our plans in 2024.

No matter if it’s $250, $100, or even $50, every penny will empower Texas Gun Rights to mobilize pro-gun Texans and protect our rights in the face of this onslaught.

But if you’re able to part with $2,500, $1,000, or even $500, it will bring Texas Gun Rights much closer to our goal of implementing our ENTIRE 2024 election accountability plans.

Texas Gun Rights is the ONLY gun rights organization holding Republicans accountable for their anti-gun votes during the primary.

It’s time to take a stand! And we can’t get outspent 10-1 by the anti-gun Left in our own backyard.

The Biden Administration, Soros, and Bloomberg are counting on our complacency.

They believe they can steamroll over us with their executive overreaches and deep pockets.

But they’re wrong. We’re Texans. We fight back!

So please, sign your pledge and donate as generously as you can.

For Texas and Liberty,

 

Chris McNutt

President, Texas Gun Rights

January 30, 2024

There are certain constants in politics that one can always count on. One of those is the National Rifle Association’s penchant for running cover for unprincipled members of the Texas State Legislature. With the 2024 Republican primary elections right around the corner, the NRA is currently doling out its endorsements and defending members of the political establishment from grassroots criticism.

On January 20, 2024, Texas State Representative Jeff Leach announced to his supporters that he received the endorsement the NRA’s Political Victory Fund (PVF).

The NRA said the following about Leach:

“Jeff Leach has been a reliable and consistent friend to gun owners in the fight to defend liberty and freedom in the Texas House. Attempts by political opponents and third-party organizations to misinform voters and distort his policy positions on gun issues are false and dishonest.”

The harsh reality is that Leach is no friend of the Second Amendment.  At a time when turncoat Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) was working with Joe Biden’s administration to pass the “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” a gun control measure that Biden described as “the most significant gun [control] legislation to pass Congress in 30 years,” Leach drafted a bill — SB 728. This bill would establish a registry for adults who had mental health complications when they were minors. This bill was ostensibly designed to have Texas law comply with the BSCA.

Ironically, Leach co-authored Texas’ so-called “Second Amendment Sanctuary” law in 2021, granting Texas the power to resist any unconstitutional gun control measures passed by the Biden regime.

Sadly, whatever good Leach did with this Second Amendment Sanctuary law went to waste after he voted to pass SB 728, which effectively placed millions of Texans’ records into the NICS Gun Ban Registry.

Like most politicians of this epoch, Leach talks a big game about the Second Amendment. But when the rubber meets the road, Leach backs down when he has to confront the Feds.

Leach also voted to water down Constitutional Carry on university campuses by voting against an amendment that would have ended the “gun free” zones aka criminal safe spaces in institutions of higher education that are often targeted by violent gunmen. In typical establishment fashion, Leach voted against broadening Constitutional Carry to all legal adults, which includes single mothers and individuals in the age range of 18 to 20 — prime years for military service.

To make matters worse, Leach voted against extending Constitutional Carry on lands that the Lower Colorado River Authority manages, which includes many camping sites statewide. Overall, Jeff Leach’s voting record against pro-gun amendments would create a confusing maze of gun laws that could have otherwise lawful gun owners running into legal problems.

During a time when Leach could have used his precious time and political capital to pass several pro-gun reforms such as the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA) and a prohibition on “Red Flag” gun confiscation orders, he decided to spend his time trying to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton — one of America’s most pro-gun AGs.

Establishment politicians like Leach also don’t like when their voting records and political machinations are exposed by grassroots activists. Hence his decision to team up with anti-gun Democrats to vote for the Texas Gag Act. Said legislation would have compelled organizations such as Texas Gun Rights to release their whole list of membership records and donors for simply talking about a politician’s voting record.

The forced disclosure of donors could leave groups and their supporters susceptible to political reprisals from unhinged leftist organizations such as Antifa and Black Lives Matter. A chilling effect on free speech would soon surface because of such legislation, which would shield the political class from legitimate criticism.

Leach’s behavior is typical of the Texas political class. State Representative Glenn Rogers also shared the same dubious distinction of selling out gun owners by following in Leach’s footsteps in terms of his anti-gun voting behavior.

In fact, when TXGR placed a billboard to expose Rogers’ voting record on SB 728, he went on social media to complain about the billboard, calling TXGR activists liars because “other Republicans voted for it [SB 728], too.”  Rogers has a history of being rather lukewarm on the Second amendment.

Back in February 2020, when he was asked if he backed Constitutional Carry at Hood County Candidate Forum, Rogers indicated that he would only support legal carry with training mandates. In effect, when every other candidate at the forum supported Constitutional Carry, Rogers was in favor of keeping the gun licensing status quo and opposing Constitutional Carry. In this timeframe, Rogers refused to return his completed TXGR candidate survey and go publicly on important issues connected to the Second Amendment.

However, the grassroots pressure finally got to Rogers after he ended up voting for a clean Constitutional Carry bill in 2021.

What we see with Leach and Rogers is a problem that’s widespread in the Texas House. It ultimately starts at the top with House Speaker Dade Phelan. The Speaker has not only backed the previously mentioned anti-gun moves, he created a gun control committee in 2023 made up of 7 Republicans and 6 Democrats.

The Vice Chairman of the committee — Jarvis Johnson — and 3 other Democrats who have received endorsements from Bloomberg-backed gun control organizations. Further, Joe Moody, who has authored “red flag” gun confiscation legislation in the last three legislative sessions, was a part of this committee.

Two Republicans on the committee — Justin Holland and Sam Harless — teamed up with Democrats to put forward a bill to prevent lawful adults between the ages of 18 to 20 from buying or owning specific kinds of rifles.

Dade Phelan’s committee appointments ultimately enabled anti-gun liberals to prevent the passage of the Second Amendment Preservation Act (HB 5153) and the bill to prohibit “red flag” gun confiscation laws in the Lone Star State (HB 1894), the latter of which were also assisted by Holland and Harless. In all likelihood, the NRA will overlook Phelan and his cronies’ spotty Second Amendment records and endorse them.

In the case of Holland, the Republican with the worst record on gun rights in 2023, he escaped with a “C” rating by the NRA instead of an “F.” And Sam Harless’ was mysteriously not listed on the NRA’s voter guide as of the writing of this article.

That’s just how the establishment gun lobby operates. The good news is that as long as TXGR exists, gun owners in the Lone Star State who desire a restoration of the Second Amendment will always have a no compromise option to rely on for their pro-gun needs.