A proven record of protecting gun rights in Texas
I can remember my father teaching me about guns and hunting. How to hold a shotgun in the fields as we waited for ringnecks to burst from the cover of winter fields. The importance of gun safety and their use for protection and providing food for our family. It’s lessons that I have passed onto my son and someday my grandson, Beau.
The tradition of gun ownership has always been about treating these weapons with respect. They have a purpose, and any other use contradicts the code my parents instilled in me. That’s why I have fought to preserve 2nd Amendment rights as a state representative in the Texas Legislature.
To date, Texas has the strongest protections for gun rights in the country. Under my watch, we’ve passed Constitutional Carry, named Texas a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary State, and banned local governments from shutting down gun stores during declared states of emergency. The list of my work as a pro-gun champion is extensive. Here’s a look at the bills I have helped pass over the years:
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Senate Bill 16: Expands Second Amendment rights by lowering the handgun license and application fee so as not to place an undo financial burden on Texans. The price for an application is lowered from $140 to $40 and from $100 to $40 for renewals.
Senate Bill 263: Repeals the minimum caliber requirement (.32) for demonstrating handgun proficiency during the range instruction portion of the License To Carry course.
House Bill 1935: Repeals the prohibition on the possession or carrying of knives such as daggers, dirks, stilettos and Bowies, by eliminating them from the prohibited weapons section of the Texas Penal Code.
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House Bill 121: Protects law-abiding handgun license holders from being penalized for accidentally carrying their handgun into an establishment where firearms are prohibited.
House Bill 302: Prohibits "no-firearms" clauses in residential leases, restores the rights of tenants to possess lawfully-owned firearms and ammunition in the homes or spaces under their control, and protects their ability to freely transport firearms between a vehicle, home or office without violating firearm trespass laws.
House Bill 1177: Allows Texans without an LTC to lawfully carry a handgun while evacuating from and returning to a declared disaster area, giving them the ability to protect their families during emergencies and put a stop to looters who steal others' firearms when evacuations occur.
House Bill 2137: Honors the sacrifice and expertise of retired peace officers with a proven handgun proficiency by exempting them from the classroom instruction component that is usually required to obtain a license to carry.
House Bill 1791: Closes loopholes in the state's "wrongful exclusion" law, which local governments and state agencies frequently use as a way to restrict licensed gun owners from carrying in government buildings.
House Bill 2363: Makes it easier for Texas foster parents to readily access a weapon by allowing them to store firearms and ammunition in the same locked location rather than in two different locked locations, as current law requires.
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HB 29: Authorizes secure weapon storage lockers in buildings used by state agencies that are generally open to the public.
HB 781: Enhances the safety of public junior college students and staff by authorizing school marshals to carry concealed handguns.
HB 1407: Protects the right of concealed-carry license holders to possess a handgun anywhere in their car. Many businesses were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is essential that 2nd Amendment freedoms are protected from government overreach in the future.
HB 1500: Bans the closure of a firearms or ammunition manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, supplier, or retailer or a sport shooting range in connection with a disaster. The right to bear arms is intended to protect Texas’ most vulnerable.
HB 918: Allows a Texan under the age of 21 to obtain a Concealed Carry License if they are under certain court-ordered protections.
HB 1927: The Firearm Carry Act, allows all law-abiding Texans the right to carry a holstered handgun for personal protection without needing to acquire a license to carry.
HB 2112: Specifies that any holster meets the requirement for the lawful carrying of a concealed firearm. It is more important than ever to guard our state against federal government infringement of 2nd Amendment rights.
HB 2622: Makes Texas a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary State, a welcoming beacon for law-abiding gun owners.
SB 19: Prevents the state from contracting with a company if they have a policy that discriminates against members of the lawful firearm or ammunition industries. 2nd Amendment freedoms do not stop just because you leave your home.
SB 20: Bars hotels from adopting a policy prohibiting guests from storing a handgun or ammunition in a hotel room.
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HB 1760: Amends the Penal Code to limit the grounds or buildings on which an activity sponsored by a school or educational institution is being conducted where the intentional, knowing, or reckless possession of or going with a firearm, location‑restricted knife, club, or other prohibited weapon constitutes an offense to only grounds or buildings owned by and under the control of an accredited primary or secondary school or a public, private, or independent institution of higher education.
HB 2837: the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act, amends the Business & Commerce Code to prohibit a person or entity involved in facilitating or processing an electronic payment transaction from surveilling, reporting, or tracking the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and accessories through the use of certain merchant category codes. The bill sets out provisions regarding the following:
• the unauthorized categorization of certain transactions, the investigative authority of the attorney general, an applicable notice of a violation of the bill's provisions, and the opportunity to cure such a violation;
• the attorney general's exclusive enforcement of the bill's provisions;
• the imposition of a civil penalty in the amount of $10,000 for each uncured violation of the bill's provisions; and
• a private right of action against a payment card issuer or payment card network.
HB 3137: Restricts municipalities or counties under the state firearms preemption law from requiring firearm owners to obtain liability insurance.
The fight to protect gun rights continues as the Biden Administration attempts to force bad policy on financial institutions and limit access to funds for small businesses. These attacks on American families are wrong and I will keep working with my fellow lawmakers to protect our Constitutional rights.
Thank you to those who have fought the lies about my record and continue to share my strong record of delivering on Conservative priorities for Texas.
