.jpg)
.jpg)
Following the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, in which Democrats secured every statewide office on the ballot and a majority in the Texas House of Representatives, Democratic lawmakers prefiled more than 20 bills addressing firearm transfers, possession, purchases, and related criminal penalties for the 90th Legislature
Prefiling opened on November 9. Snopes identified 25 bills related to firearms regulation as of mid-November, with the large majority sponsored by Democrats. Other tallies from advocacy groups and news outlets ranged from roughly 20 to 35 firearm-related measures filed early, most of which propose new restrictions on firearm ownership and practicality.
The flood of anti-Second Amendment legislation comes after Democrats campaigned primarily on affordability and the cost of living. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Greg Abbott, U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico defeated Ken Paxton, and Democrats won the lieutenant governorship, attorney general’s office, as well as other statewide positions.
Several of the early filings target common ownership practices. One bill from Houston Representative Ann Johnson would let a family member, household member, or police officer ask a judge to order someone’s guns taken away. Similar legislation in other states have long been referred to by Second Amendment proponents as “red flag laws.”
The judge could issue that temporary order based only on paperwork claiming the person is an immediate danger because of a serious mental illness, without first notifying the gun owner or holding a hearing. The person would have to turn over the firearms, often within a day, and a full hearing would come later. The order could last a year and be renewed.
Johnson’s bill would also undo a 2025 Texas law that largely blocked this kind of process.
POLL: Will America Regret Giving The Democrats Power?
Other measures focus on adults under 21. Multiple House bills, including ones from El Paso Representative Joe Moody and others, would make it a state jail felony to sell or transfer many ordinary semiautomatic rifles — the kind that accept detachable magazines and are larger than .22 caliber — to anyone in that age group.
A separate bill from Sugar Land Representative Suleman Lalani would go further and bar anyone under 21 from buying or possessing any firearm at all.
In the Senate, Laredo Senator Judith Zaffirini’s bill would apply similar purchase and possession limits to guns labeled “assault weapons,” a category written to cover many popular semiautomatic rifles with common features such as a pistol grip, along with certain shotguns and pistols. Firearms advocates have long cautioned that “assault weapons” is not a defined term, while the overwhelming majority of “assault weapons” legislation would amount to bans on most privately-owned semiautomatic firearms.
Additional filings would change private sales and dealer records. Lalani also filed a bill requiring that most person-to-person gun transfers go through a licensed dealer so a background check is run.
Moody’s bill would force dealers to report to state and local authorities whenever someone buys two or more guns, or four or more magazines, within five business days. Another of his bills would require certain people already under protective orders or bond conditions to get rid of every gun they own within a set number of days, even if they have never been convicted.
Separate proposals would ban the making or sharing of files for 3D-printed guns, raise penalties when a child gets hold of a firearm, expand where reckless discharge can be charged, and allow cities to restrict guns inside public libraries.
Gun-rights groups have already flagged the package as a coordinated effort that includes court-ordered removals without an initial hearing, new age barriers on widely owned rifles, mandatory checks on private transfers, and sales reports that critics describe as the start of a registry.
RELATED: James Talarico Endorses Gun Control, Calls For ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban
Continue reading...
[ H/T Trending Politics ]
