First posted on Instagram
Democrats in the Texas Legislature have filed a wave of bills to restrict guns in the state, days after winning control of the Texas House and the governor’s office in the midterm elections, with proposals covering assault-style weapons, private gun sales and court orders to take firearms from people deemed dangerous.
Bill filing for the next legislative session opened on Monday, November 9, and the Democratic proposals were among the first filed. At least 23 gun-restriction bills have been put forward so far, and the session itself begins on January 12, 2027.
The bills filed so far include House Bill 218, sponsored by Rep. Johnson, which would create extreme-risk protective orders — known as “red flag” orders — including temporary orders issued without a hearing. A family or household member or a peace officer could apply if they allege the person has a serious mental illness and poses an immediate danger because of access to firearms. The person would have to turn over their guns within 24 hours, and a full order would last up to a year and could be renewed. Senate Bill 80, sponsored by Sen. Zaffirini, would prohibit certain transfers, purchases and possession of assault weapons.
Other proposals include House Bill 613, sponsored by Rep. Lalani, which would require a national instant criminal background check on private firearm transfers; House Bill 173, sponsored by Rep. Moody, which would make it a state jail felony to transfer a semiautomatic rifle that takes a detachable magazine and is larger than .22 caliber to anyone under 21; and House Bill 606, also sponsored by Lalani, which would bar transferring firearms to, or the purchase or possession of firearms by, people under 21. House Bill 618, sponsored by Moody, would restrict transferring firearm magazines to people who are prohibited from possessing the type of firearm the magazine is made for, and House Bill 659, also sponsored by Moody, would require licensed firearms dealers to report certain sales or transfers of multiple firearms or magazines to law enforcement. House Bill 576, sponsored by Lalani, would bar registered sex offenders from buying a firearm.
The filings follow the Democrats’ midterm sweep in Texas, in which voters gave the party the Texas House and the governor’s office. Gina Hinojosa is set to replace Gov. Greg Abbott, Vikki Goodwin becomes lieutenant governor and Nathan Johnson attorney general. The Texas Senate remains under Republican control, so the bills face their hardest test there, and with Democrats holding the House and the governorship they have a clearer path than they did under past Republican majorities.
Second Amendment groups are urging Senate Republicans to block the measures. Gun-rights activist and gun shop owner Michael Cargill warned on social media on Monday that Texas Democrats were “planning to file bills to repeal Constitutional Carry, Open Carry, Campus Carry & Red Flag laws.” Texas Gun Rights, which calls the Senate “the last firewall,” said: “Every Senator who claims to support the Second Amendment is going to have to prove it. No common ground. No compromise. Do not give an inch.”
The incoming Democratic leaders have long records on the issue. Goodwin authored a 2025 bill that would have required background checks on private firearm transfers, and Moody authored red-flag proposals in 2019 and 2025. The bills now filed are proposals for the session starting January 12, 2027; none of them is law.