First posted on Instagram
Democrats swept the statewide races in Texas, and now gun legislation is on the table. On Monday, November 9, 2026, the first day lawmakers could prefile bills for the 90th Texas Legislature, Texas Democrats filed a wave of gun control measures — roughly 23 bills by one count, and about 35 firearm-related bills by the count of the National Rifle Association’s lobbying arm — raising the question, after this midterm, of whether Americans want gun reform.
The filings came six days after the November 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats won a majority in the Texas House for the first time since the 2002 election, and won the governor’s office and the lieutenant governor’s office. Gina Hinojosa unseated three-term Republican Governor Greg Abbott, and Vikki Goodwin won the lieutenant governorship. Republicans kept a majority in the Texas Senate, 19 to 12, which remains the last hurdle for any of the measures.
Among the measures filed on the first day was House Bill 218, by State Representative Ann Johnson of Houston, which would create extreme risk protective orders — known as red flag orders — including temporary orders issued without notice, and repeal the 2025 Anti-Red Flag Act, signed by Governor Abbott, which bars state and local entities from enforcing such orders. House Bill 613, by State Representative Suleman Lalani of Sugar Land, would require a national instant criminal background check for private firearm transfers. House Bill 659, by State Representative Joe Moody of El Paso, would require licensed dealers to report to the Texas Department of Public Safety when a single buyer purchases two or more firearms, or four or more detachable magazines, within five business days.
Other filings would restrict firearm transfers to adults under 21, including House Bills 173, 606, 771, 806 and 857, and Senate Bill 80, by State Senator Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, which would make it a crime for a person under 21 to buy or possess a firearm covered by its definition of an assault weapon. House Bill 712, by State Representative Erin Gámez of Brownsville, would let cities and counties ban guns in public libraries they operate.
None of the bills has had a hearing or a vote. The 90th Legislature convenes on January 12, 2027, and runs through May 31, and the bills would take effect on September 1, 2027, if passed. Lawmakers have until March 12 to file most bills, and thousands more are expected.
Senator Ted Cruz, the only Republican still holding statewide office in Texas, described the result on his podcast on November 4 as a “blue tsunami,” saying: “2026 was not simply a blue wave. It was a blue tsunami.” He called the outcome a “Watergate-level repudiation” of Republicans and said: “Texas is blue. That is a hard sentence to utter.” Cruz also telephoned James Talarico, the Democrat who defeated Attorney General Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate seat, to congratulate him.