Texas Democrats filed at least 21 bills on Nov. 9 to tighten gun laws. They had just won the governor's office and the Texas House. Republicans still control the Texas Senate. No bill can pass without some Republican votes. "The Senate is now the last firewall between Texas gun owners and the gun confiscation lobby's agenda," said Chris McNutt of the group Texas Gun Rights.
Seven of the bills deal with age. House Bill 606 would make it a crime for anyone under 21 to buy or have any gun. It has no exceptions, not even for soldiers, police or hunters. House Bill 173 would ban selling or giving many semi-automatic rifles to anyone under 21. It has exceptions for police, soldiers, veterans and short loans, like for hunting. The National Rifle Association calls the age bills "restrictions on the right of adults aged 18 to 20 to acquire and possess firearms."
Senate Bill 80 targets "assault weapons." The NRA called it a "ban on commonly owned semiautomatic firearms, including possession." But the bill's text limits the ban to people under 21.
House Bill 218 would create "red flag" orders. A family member or a police officer could ask a judge to take away a person's guns. A judge could act "without a hearing" if the person seems dangerous because of a serious mental illness. The judge could give the person 24 hours to turn in the guns. A hearing would come within 14 days. Texas Gun Rights calls such orders "gun confiscation without due process." Rep. Joe Moody, a Democrat, said in 2025 that "the bills are built to have process."
Other bills would:
- require a background check before almost any gun sale, gift or loan, even between family members;
- make gun dealers tell police when one buyer gets two or more guns, or four or more magazines, within five business days;
- make it a crime to bring a gun within 1,000 feet of a school without the school's written OK;
- ban carrying a visible handgun in a public library, even with a license;
- ban guns made on 3D printers.
"On day one they filed gun confiscation instead," McNutt said, and he said the bills include "a registry." The dealer-report bill says its reports may not be used "for the purpose of a registry."
Supporters point to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. An 18-year-old who legally bought two rifles killed 19 children and two adults. In a 2023 poll, three out of four Texans backed raising the age to buy a gun to 21. That included 64% of Republicans and 91% of Democrats.
Courts may decide some of this. In 2025, the federal appeals court that covers Texas struck down a federal ban on selling handguns to 18- to 20-year-olds. Other courts have upheld similar limits.
Most of these bills are not new. Fifteen have the same titles as bills filed in 2025, and none of those got a hearing. What changed is who runs the House. Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa has not spoken about the new bills, The Texan reported. In 2017 she called for background checks on all gun sales. In 2024, 4,389 Texans died from guns, the CDC says. That rate was the 26th-highest of the 50 states. The session runs from Jan. 12 to May 31.
Reporting through Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Sources: Texas Legislature Online, weapons bills, 90th Legislature, and the Legislature's public bill-history archive (ftp.legis.state.tx.us), Nov. 10, 2026; bill texts: HB 173, HB 218, HB 606, HB 613, HB 659, HB 712, SB 80, SB 234; HB 771, HB 776 and HB 960; Reese v. ATF, 5th Cir., Jan. 30, 2025; ABA Journal; Gina Hinojosa, TribTalk, Nov. 8, 2017; SB 1362 (2025) bill analysis; HB 131 (2019), HB 432 (2025) and HB 478 (2025); Texas Tribune, Nov. 9, 2026; The Texan, Nov. 9, 2026; NRA-ILA, Nov. 9, 2026; Texas Gun Rights, Nov. 6, 2026; Texas Public Radio, May 8, 2025; Fox 4, Nov. 4, 2026; HPPR, May 5, 2023; KUT, April 19, 2023; Texas Tribune via Source NM, May 26, 2022; CDC Stats of the States, firearm mortality, 2024.
