Texas Democrats File More Than 20 Gun Bills on First Prefiling Day: Red-Flag Orders and Private-Sale Background Checks Included
The Texas Legislature opened prefiling for its 90th session on November 9, and Democratic lawmakers filed more than 20 bills restricting firearms on the first day; the National Rifle Association's lobbying arm counted about 35 firearm-related bills filed that day in total. The filings came days after the midterm elections, in which Democrats won the governorship and the lieutenant governorship and took their first Texas House majority since 2002, while Republicans kept the state Senate.
Among the bills: SB 80 by Senator Judith Zaffirini would make it a Class A misdemeanor for anyone under 21 to purchase or possess what it defines as an assault weapon, including semiautomatic centerfire rifles with detachable magazines, and would likewise criminalize transferring such a weapon to a person under 21, with a proposed effective date of September 1, 2027. HB 218 by Representative Ann Johnson would repeal the 2025 law that banned red-flag orders and establish court-issued extreme risk protective orders. HB 613 by Representative Suleman Lalani would require a national instant criminal background check for private firearm transfers. Several bills by Representative Joe Moody and others would make transferring a semiautomatic rifle to an adult under 21 a state jail felony, and another would require dealers to report people who buy multiple guns or magazines at once.
A total of 1,262 bills and resolutions were filed statewide that day. The 90th Legislature does not convene until January 12, 2027, and the gun bills would still have to pass the Republican-held Senate; none has become law.
Source: Texas Legislature
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：德克萨斯州议会大厦（资料图）。图：LoneStarMike，CC BY 3.0，经维基共享资源 / the Texas State Capitol in Austin (file photo). Photo by LoneStarMike, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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