OCT President CJ Grisham testifies before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security to get open carry passed in 2015.
Proposed Texas Bills relating to the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in 2021:
2021 BILL TRACKING
| BILL # | AUTHOR | SUMMARY | OCT POSITION |
| HB 52 | Reynolds | Institutes mandatory NICS checks for private sales at gun shows. Exempts LTC holders and law enforcement. Requires gun show owners to have a licensed firearm dealer dedicated to running NICS on private sales. Imposes fines and criminal offenses. | OPPOSE |
| HB 55 | Swanson | Allows school marshals to carry concealed handguns. | SUPPORT |
| HB 112 | Toth | Prohibits State and Local governments from enforcing federal gun control laws that are stricter than State laws. | SUPPORT |
| HB 118 | Ortega | Institutes Universal Background Checks on private sales. | OPPOSE |
| HB 127 | Ortega | Bans the open carry of anything besides handguns. | OPPOSE |
| HB 164 | Meza | Creates unconstitutional “red flag” laws. | OPPOSE |
| HB 172 | Meza | Bans possession and transfer of modern sporting rifles (what gun haters call “assault weapons”). | OPPOSE |
| HB 178 | Meza | Bans possession and transfer of magazines that hold over 10 rounds. | OPPOSE |
| HB 185 | Meza | Creates mandatory gun storage law. | OPPOSE |
| HB 196 | Meza | Abolishes the Castle Doctrine and requires Texan cowardice rather than self-defense against violent criminals and threats. | OPPOSE |
| HB 201 | Meza | Repeals campus carry and makes innocent students less safe while protecting rapists and violent criminals. | OPPOSE |
| HB 208 | Meza | Bans private manufacture of firearms from 80% lowers (bans “ghost guns”). | OPPOSE |
| HB 210 | Meza | Creates an unconstitutional “red flag” law. | OPPOSE |
| HB 213 | Bernal | Bans the carry (open or concealed) of anything besides handguns. | OPPOSE |
| HB 218 | Meza | Bans private gun sales unless the buyer and seller subject themselves to an unconstitutional gun registration system. | OPPOSE |
| HB 223 | Meza | Redundantly adds “violent misdemeanors” to the five-year ban on possessing a firearm. Current law already unconstitutionally bans possession for Class A misdemeanor convictions. | OPPOSE |
| HB 227 | Meza | Requires notice to state law enforcement if a person fails a background check while trying to purchase a firearm. The NICS system is notoriously unreliable. | OPPOSE |
| HB 229 | Meza | Requires law enforcement to enter protective orders into the statewide law enforcement information system maintained by DPS. Current law is three business days. This would unduly burden law enforcement agencies. | OPPOSE |
| HB 231 | Ortega | Bans transfer of rifles, knives over 5”, and clubs to anyone under 18 years old and the transfer of modern sporting rifles (what gun haters call “assault rifles”) to anyone under 21. | OPPOSE |
| HB 234 | Ortega | Bans the possession and transfer of magazines holding more than 10 rounds. | OPPOSE |
| HB 235 | Meza | Expands the definition of what constitutes family violence that affects a person’s possession of a firearm. | NEUTRAL |
| HB 236 | Bernal | Removes current 30.06/07 signage requirements, making it harder for gun owners to be notified of gun free zones and subjecting them to prosecution. | OPPOSE |
| HB 238 | Meza | Abolishes state preemption of firearms laws and allows for a patchwork of gun laws passed by municipalities and counties. | OPPOSE |
| HB 241 | Ortega | Bans possession or transfer of modern sporting rifles (what the gun haters call “assault rifles”). | OPPOSE |
| HB 245 | Bernal | Institutes mandatory NICS checks for private sales at gun shows. Exempts LTC holders and law enforcement. Requires gun show owners to have a licensed firearm dealer dedicated to running NICS on private sales. Imposes fines and criminal offenses. | OPPOSE |
| HB 276 | Murr | Extends special privileges to government officials like retired judges and prosecutors that regular citizens do not have. We do not support special privileges for government officials that the People do not enjoy. But, we also believe in expanding these rights to EVERYONE. | NEUTRAL |
| HB 304 | Springer | Expands the number of places that an LTC holder may go, reduces gun free zones, and removes special privileges to carry held by some government officials that the People do not enjoy. | SUPPORT |
| HB 328 | Gervin-Hawkins | Designates July as “Firearm Safety Awareness Month. This is nothing more than public and social indoctrination. It sounds like a great idea, but we know how it will be implemented – to attack gun rights. | OPPOSE |
| HB 336 | Cain | Prohibits “red flag” laws within the State of Texas. | SUPPORT |
| HB 340 | Cain | Limits the governor’s authority to control the sale and use of guns during a “state of emergency.” | SUPPORT |
| HB 347 | Geren | Redundantly makes it a crime to provide a false or misleading statement made to acquire a firearm. This is already law. | OPPOSE |
| HB 395 | Moody | Creates an unconstitutional “red flag” law to confiscate guns without due process. | OPPOSE |
| HB 521 | Fierro | Creates a voluntary registry for individuals experiencing “mental illness” to waive their right to purchase or transfer a firearm. This is a trojan horse bill to gun confiscation. | OPPOSE |
| HB 524 | Rosenthal | Exempts gun safes, gun lock boxes, trigger locks, and other items to ensure the safe handling or storage of firearms from sales taxes. | SUPPORT |
| HB 530 | Patterson | Creates a special privilege for a person with an LTC serving as an election judge during early voting and on election day. If there is a threat allowing an election judge to carry, other licensed individuals should be trusted to carry. We do not support special privileges for government officials that the People do not enjoy. But, we also believe in expanding these rights to EVERYONE. | NEUTRAL |
| HB 603 | Meza | Abolishes state reciprocity for handgun licenses issued in other states. This would also abolish the right of Texas LTC holders to carry in other states. | OPPOSE |
| HB 606 | Goodwin | Creates a universal background system and bans private gun sales without one. | OPPOSE |
| HB 629 | White | Limits the governor’s authority to control the sale and use of guns during a “state of emergency.” | SUPPORT |
| HB 635 | Krause | Prohibits State and Local governments from enforcing federal gun control laws that are stricter than State laws. | SUPPORT |
| HB 670 | Martinez | Redundantly makes it a crime to recklessly discharge a firearm. It is already a crime to recklessly discharge a firearm. | OPPOSE |
| HB 693 | Moody | Removes an affirmative defense to prosecution of making a firearm accessible to a child if the child “was supervised by a person older than 18 years of age and was for hunting, sporting, or other lawful purpose.” Creates a felony offense if the child intentionally or unintentionally harms or kills another person. | OPPOSE |
| HB 759 | Harless | Creates a Big Brother-style “student threat assessment” database similar to those created in Communist countries like China to track and monitor children. This bill if fraught with potential for corruption and partisan attacks. | OPPOSE |
| HB 760 | Goodwin | Institutes mandatory NICS checks for private sales at gun shows. Exempts LTC holders and law enforcement. Requires gun show owners to have a licensed firearm dealer dedicated to running NICS on private sales. Imposes fines and criminal offenses. | OPPOSE |
| HB 791 | Goodwin | Would ban display of a firearm while attending or within 500 feet of a public demonstration. | OPPOSE |
| HB 799 | Rosenthal | Makes it a crime to carry a firearm while "intoxicated" despite the firearm ever being used for criminal purposes. Ties the definition of "intoxicated" to the DUI definition. | OPPOSE |
| HB 821 | White | Removes unconstitutional restrictions to qualifying for an LTC. Anyone that can legally keep and possess a firearm can qualify for a license. | SUPPORT |
| HB 854 | Burns | Reduces "unlawful carry" penalties at certain locations to a Class C misdemeanor. We do not support gun free zones anyway, so any movement in that direction is good. | SUPPORT |
| HB 882 | Hinojosa | Creates a redundant law making it a crime to unlawfully transfer a firearm. We believe current laws should be enforced instead of just adding more laws that will result in charge stacking. | OPPOSE |
| HB 883 | Hinojosa | Slightly different than previous bill. Creates a redundant law making it a crime to unlawfully transfer a firearm. We believe current laws should be enforced instead of just adding more laws that will result in charge stacking. | OPPOSE |
| HB 909 | Gervin-Hawkins | Not content with ONE bill, Rep. Gervin-Hawkins filed ANOTHER bill identical to her previous one that designates July as “Firearm Safety Awareness Month. This is nothing more than public and social indoctrination. It sounds like a great idea, but we know how it will be implemented – to attack gun rights. | OPPOSE |
| HB 915 | Krause | Exempts the intrastate manufacture of a firearm, a firearm accessory, or ammunition from federal regulation. | SUPPORT |
| HB 919 | Leman | Prohibits rules, orders, ordinances, or policies to regulate a firearm, a firearm accessory, or firearm ammunition if the statute, order, rule, or regulation imposes a prohibition, restriction, or other regulation, such as a capacity or size limitation, a registration requirement, or a background check, that does not exist under the laws of Texas. | SUPPORT |
| HB 957 | Oliverson | Exempts intrastate sales of firearms suppressors from federal law. | SUPPORT |
| HB 1039 | Goodwin | Requires the publication of suspended licenses to carry and requires FFLs to run all gun purchases against the list posted publicly. This bill violates due process and creates burdens on both FFLs and law enforcement. | OPPOSE |
| HB 1040 | Goodwin | Creates additional hurdles to individuals ordered into chemical dependency treatment to regain their rights after successful completion of treatment. | OPPOSE |
| HB 1069 | Harris | Allows first responders to carry while on duty. | SUPPORT |
| HB 1238 | Biedermann | Constitutional Carry Bill. | SUPPORT |
| BILL # | AUTHOR | SUMMARY | OCT POSITION |
| SB 60 | Zaffirini | Creates a sales and use tax exemption for firearm safety devices and educational materials. | SUPPORT |
| SB 84 | Miles | Creates an unconstitutional “red flag” law to confiscate guns without due process. | OPPOSE |
| SB 110 | West | Creates an unconstitutional “red flag” law to confiscate guns without due process. | OPPOSE |
| SB 158 | Perry | Waives fees for LTC renewals and duplicates for school marshals. We do not support special privileges for government officials that the People do not enjoy. But, we also believe in expanding these rights to EVERYONE. | NEUTRAL |
| SB 162 | Blanco | Redundantly makes it a crime to provide a false or misleading statement made to acquire a firearm. This is already law. | OPPOSE |
| SB 163 | Blanco | Institutes mandatory NICS checks for private sales at gun shows. Exempts LTC holders and law enforcement. Requires gun show owners to have a licensed firearm dealer dedicated to running NICS on private sales. Imposes fines and criminal offenses. | OPPOSE |
| SB 164 | Blanco | While we support the required notice to defendants offering pleas of guilty or nolo contender of the consequences to their gun rights of such a plea, we cannot support the unconstitutional expansion of gun control in this bill. It makes it a crime for a “felon” to “acquire” (replacing the word purchase). We do not support the blanket and unconstitutional ban on felons in possession of a firearm due to the constantly increasing number of nonviolent crimes the government is making a “felony.” | OPPOSE |
| SB 168 | Blanco | Mandates “active shooter drills” in schools. The data is clear that school shootings are an incredibly rare occurrence, and these drills only serve to further scare our school age children and engineer them to fear firearms. | OPPOSE |
| SB 242 | Eckhardt | Creates universal background checks. | OPPOSE |
| SB 283 | Alvarado | Creates an unconstitutional "red flag" law. | OPPOSE |
| SB 311 | Eckhardt | Would ban display of a firearm while attending or within 500 feet of a public demonstration. | OPPOSE |
| SB 313 | Huffman | Creates a sales and use tax exemption for firearm safety devices and educational materials. | SUPPORT |
| SB 499 | Kolkhorst | Nullifies any federal gun control laws that are more strict than Texas gun laws. | SUPPORT |
| SB 513 | Hall | Makes Texas a 2A Sanctuary State. | SUPPORT |
| SB 514 | Hall | Abolishes dangerous gun free school zones for license holders and prohibits school districts from creating policies to disarm license holders, including employees. | SUPPORT |
| SB 540 | Springer/Buckingham | Removes the requirement for law abiding Texans to obtain a license to carry a handgun to exercise their natural right to self-defense. | SUPPORT |
| SB 541 | Springer | Prohibits government agencies/employees from enforcing federal statutes, orders, rules, or regulations regulating a firearm, a firearm accessory, or firearm ammunition if the statute, order, rule, or regulation imposes a prohibition, restriction, or other regulation, such as a capacity or size limitation or a registration requirement, that does not exist under Texas laws. | SUPPORT |
| SB 542 | Springer | Exempts firearms manufactured in Texas from federal firearms laws provided they weren't made with parts from other states. | SUPPORT |
| SB 543 | Springer | Exempts suppressors manufactured in Texas from federal firearms laws provided they weren't made with parts from other states. | SUPPORT |
| SB 544 | Springer | Adds arson and attempted arson as reason to use justifiable force. | SUPPORT |
| SB 545 | Springer | Allows Texans who are protected under a restraining or protective order to carry a firearm openly or concealed without a license. | SUPPORT |
| SB 546 | Springer | Narrows the definition of what constitutes the "premises" of a school activity or polling place to prohibit blanket prohibitions at multi-use facilities. | SUPPORT |
| SB 547 | Springer | Prohibits the governor from regulating or restricting firearms and ammunition during a supposed "emergency" declaration. | SUPPORT |
| SB 548 | Springer | Prohibits red flag laws from being implemented in Texas. | SUPPORT |
| SB 549 | Springer | Raises percentage of alcohol sales from 51% to 60% at businesses where firearms are banned. | SUPPORT |
| SB 550 | Springer | Removes "belt or shoulder" from holster requirements for open carry, alleviating confusion and misunderstandings of the law. | SUPPORT |
| SJR 24 | Hall | Constitutional amendment to remove requirement to get a license to carry. Constitutional Carry by amendment! | STRONGLY SUPPORT |