Gun Rights
Ken Paxton (R)
Paxton led the multistate ATF lawsuit that killed the Biden-era 'Engaged in the Business' rule expanding background checks on private firearm sales. He sued ATF over the pistol stabilizing-brace rule in partnership with Gun Owners of America, who endorsed his Senate campaign. He joined Montana-led amicus briefs challenging New York's Concealed Carry Improvement Act and ATF's bump-stock reclassification. He has repeatedly attacked Cornyn for negotiating the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, calling it an infringement on Texans' Second Amendment rights. Trump's endorsement statement lists protecting the Second Amendment among Paxton's commitments.
James Talarico (D)
Talarico frames his position as 'protect the Second Amendment while protecting our neighbors from gun violence.' He supports universal background checks, secure storage requirements around children, prosecution of firearms traffickers, and raising the purchase age to 21 for semi-automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines. He opposed Texas's permitless ('constitutional') carry law and co-authored HB 220 (handgun sale restrictions) and HB 22 (multiple-purchase reporting) in 2023. His most viral gun-policy moment came on the House floor days after the 2023 Allen mall shooting, confronting Republicans on HB 2960. His Texas record includes increasing penalties for mass shooting perpetrators and requiring Narcan on every public school campus.
Sources
- Talarico for Texas, official campaign issues pages (taxes, education, healthcare, immigration, social media/AI, freedom-family-faith, public-safety-justice, corruption-democracy, labor-business), accessed May 2026. (full list)
- Texas Attorney General, multistate ATF lawsuits on private firearm sales (May 2024) and pistol stabilizing braces (Feb. 2023). (full list)
- Truth Social statement endorsing Paxton over Cornyn, May 19, 2026 (covered by CNBC, NBC News, Breitbart). (full list)
- Texas House floor speech on HB 2960, May 2023, post-Allen mall shooting; Daily Caller News Foundation analysis, March 2026. (full list)
- Ammoland.com, 'Gun Owners of America Warns Texans About Senate Candidate James Talarico's Gun Control Record,' March 2026; Paxton endorsement listing. (full list)