Texas Democrats rode last week's blue wave to a majority in the state House and the governor's mansion, and they've wasted no time showing gun owners what comes next.
It ain't pretty.
When bill prefiling opened on November 9, Democrats flooded the docket with gun-control proposals. The Texan counted 23 gun bills, all but one in the House, and NRA-ILA tallied roughly 35 firearm-related bills on day one alone.
That's a lot of gun control bills for a group that duped voters into thinking their primary concern was gas and grocery prices.
The wish list reads like it was copied straight from New York, not the Lone Star State.
State Rep. Ann Johnson's HB 218 would create "extreme risk protective orders," better known as red flag laws, and would repeal the 2025 law Gov. Greg Abbott signed banning them. Such laws are a blatant violation of due process, allowing the government to seize a person's firearms before they have been convicted of a crime or given a full opportunity to defend themselves in court.
There is little evidence that they actually work.
The 2027 Texas legislative session hasn't even begun, and lawmakers have already filed roughly 35 firearm-related bills, including proposals to: - ban certain semi-automatic firearms - restrict gun ownership for adults under 21 - impose background checks on private sales - establish red flag laws
— NRA (@NRA) November 10, 2026
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... - establish red flag laws.
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini's SB 80 would make it a state felony for anyone under 21 to buy a so-called "assault weapon." That definition is broad enough to cover a centerfire rifle with a pistol grip or a folding stock.
State Rep. Suleman Lalani's HB 606 goes further still and bans anyone under 21 from buying any firearm at all. Old enough to enlist, not old enough to buy a deer rifle.
Then there's Rep. Joe Moody's HB 659. It would require dealers to report anyone who buys two or more guns, or four or more magazines, in a short window. The report would go to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the buyer's local sheriff.
Texas Gun Rights President Chris McNutt wasn't impressed.
“Democrats campaigned on affordability. On day one, they filed gun confiscation instead: red flag orders without a hearing, universal background checks, gun bans for adults under 21, and a registry," he told The Texan. "Twenty-three anti-gun bills hit the docket on day one, and Texas Gun Rights will fight every one of them. No confiscation, no registration, no compromise."
On HB 659, he added: "Call it whatever you want. It's a gun registry, and registration is the first step to confiscation."
Texas stands as long as the Texas Senate Republican caucus holds the line. We will.
— Charles Schwertner (@DrSchwertner) November 4, 2026
Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, meanwhile, has gone quiet. The Texan reports she "has not spoken specifically on any of the proposed gun bills so far," though she has supported similar legislation in the past. In an October interview with The New Yorker, she said she opposes constitutional carry and that "people should have a background check to carry a gun."
Fortunately, one firewall remains. Republicans still control the Texas Senate, and they've made clear they won't roll over and show their belly when it comes to Second Amendment protections.
"Texas stands as long as the Texas Senate Republican caucus holds the line," state Sen. Charles Schwertner wrote on election night. "We will."
The session opens Jan. 12. Texas gun owners had better hope the line holds.