Just days after Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrats seized control of the Texas House for the first time since 2002, the party wasted no time launching a full-scale assault on the Second Amendment.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, the very first day lawmakers could prefile bills for the 90th Legislature, Democrats introduced a package of roughly 20 (NRA-ILA counts roughly 35 total firearm-related bills, the vast majority anti-gun) sweeping new restrictions.
The 2027 session does not even convene until January 12, yet the gun-control agenda is already on full display.
Here are some of the other major firearm restrictions Democrats filed Monday:
SB 80 (Sen. Judith Zaffirini): A ban on so-called “assault weapons,” including possession. The bill targets commonly owned semiautomatic centerfire rifles that accept detachable magazines and feature features such as pistol grips. Bill text: capitol.texas.gov SB 80.
HB 218 (Rep. Ann Johnson of Houston): Repeals the 2025 Texas law (SB 1362, signed by Gov. Abbott) that banned red-flag orders and blocked localities from enforcing them. It creates extreme risk protective orders allowing family members, household members, or law enforcement to petition a court. A judge can issue a temporary ex parte order without notifying the gun owner or holding a hearing, forcing surrender of firearms to police within 24 hours. A full hearing comes later (within 14 days), after which the order can last a year and be renewed. Possession in violation is a Class A misdemeanor. Bill text: capitol.texas.gov HB 218.
HB 173 (Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso) and related bills (HB 606, HB 610, HB 771, HB 806, HB 857): Make it a state jail felony to transfer many semiautomatic rifles (those accepting detachable magazines and chambered larger than .22) to adults under 21. Exceptions exist for law enforcement, military, and some temporary loans, but the core restriction targets military-age adults.
HB 613: Imposes so-called universal background checks on private firearm transfers.
HB 659: Requires dealers to report people who buy multiple guns or magazines.
HB 712: Weakens statewide firearms preemption, allowing cities and counties to chip away at uniform gun protections and enact local gun control.
Additional bills impose mandatory storage requirements (HB 609, HB 658, HB 859) and further age and possession limits.
These proposals align with long-standing Democrat priorities previously detailed by gun-rights groups and in earlier Gateway Pundit coverage of national and Texas gun-control pushes, including Beto O’Rourke’s calls for confiscation and red-flag efforts after past Texas shootings.
Democrats will control the House and the governor’s office when the session begins. The Texas Senate remains under Republican control and is widely viewed by Second Amendment advocates as the last firewall.
NRA-ILA and Texas gun-rights organizations have already flagged the package as a preview of what is coming and are urging immediate engagement.
More from Texas Scorecard:
Texas Gun Rights President Chris McNutt blasted the proposal and accused Democrats of attempting to establish a statewide gun confiscation program.
“The gun confiscation lobby and their puppets in the Legislature aren’t wasting any time,” McNutt told Texas Scorecard. “Ann Johnson’s HB 218 doesn’t just repeal Texas’s ban on red flag laws. It creates a statewide red flag gun confiscation scheme that lets a judge order your guns taken without a crime, without a hearing, and without you ever knowing it was coming, based on nothing more than an allegation.”
McNutt warned that gun owners could be forced to surrender their firearms before receiving an opportunity to challenge the allegations in court.
“You’d have 24 hours to surrender your firearms and up to two weeks before you get your day in court,” he said. “Texas Gun Rights will fight this bill at every step, and every legislator who claims to be pro-gun had better be ready to kill it.”
The proposal comes just one year after Republican lawmakers passed legislation specifically intended to prevent red flag laws from being implemented in Texas.
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The measure, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, prohibits most extreme risk protective orders and barred local governments from accepting federal funding to implement or enforce them.
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