Texas GOP Vote

On the last day of the 2013 NRA Annual Meeting, I had the opportunity to sit down with board member Grover Norquist to discuss the NRA Board and the politics related to the 2nd Amendment. Norquist explained the makeup of the NRA Board and the roles the various people in the board play. We then went on to talk about the current political climate related to guns and the real issues related to gun violence. It's not the hardware, it is the behavior of people we should be trying to control.   Read more »

The following press release was sent out by the NRA's Institute for Legislative Affairs:

As we reported last month, on April 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted 153-4 to pass the Arms Trade Treaty, with the United States voting in favor and several countries abstaining. The vote in the General Assembly pushed the treaty process forward after negotiations twice failed to deliver on the goal of developing the treaty by consensus. The Obama Administration is expected to sign the treaty soon after it is opened for signature on June 3.   Read more »

The following is a press release from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action:

Gun owners’ patience and persistence was rewarded on Saturday and yesterday, as the Texas House of Representatives led by Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) gave approval to a wide range of pro-gun legislation while the NRA Annual Meeting was underway in Houston. Most of these bills passed overwhelmingly,

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that lawmakers who are “going with the NRA” are “going against the lives of our children.” “And we have an obligation to tell each other and to try to convince people that if they’re going with the NRA they’re going against the lives of our children and of you and me,” Bloomberg said during a press conference last week to announce a city-wide recycling program. Bloomberg was asked about whether his group Mayors Against Illegal Guns will target Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat, who opposed gun control legislation in the Senate.   Read more »

The following is a press release from the NRA Institute for Legislative Action:

As NRA members begin to gather in Houston for the 2013 Annual Meeting, action is heating up in Austin on Second Amendment-related measures. Yesterday, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 1907, sponsored by state Senator Glenn Hegar (R-Katy), a measure that prohibits public and private colleges and universities from adopting or enforcing policies banning students who are Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHLs) from transporting and storing handguns and ammunition in their privately-owned motor vehicles while driving through or parking on campus. SB 1907 now goes to the Texas House for consideration.

Additionally, the state House is scheduled to consider a full calendar of firearm-related bills this Saturday, May 4, including

Today was set-up day at the nation's largest gathering of gun owners and enthusiasists. The 142nd gathering of the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Annual Meeting. The convention is being held in Houston at the George R. Brown Convention Center and expected to draw well in excess of 70,000 NRA members.

This is the second time in recent years for the NRA to choose Houston to host its annual meeting. The last visit to Houston was in 2005.   Read more »

Today is the National Day of Prayer and tomorrow is the opening day of the NRA Convention in Houston. Let me try to connect God and guns via Alexis de Tocqueville. Tocqueville wrote, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” This observation exposes the connection between a nation’s character and its ability to enjoy liberty. It also establishes the point that laws cannot establish the right character for enjoying liberty.   Read more »

A nonprofit group in Houston, TX known for helping single mothers has begun an ambitious new effort to help an entire neighborhood, and ultimately, the entire nation. This nonprofit stands apart from most others because of how it is trying to help. Namely, they arm single mothers and other vulnerable groups in society. They are the Armed Citizen Project.

The group formed earlier this year and raised funds to purchase

Imagine you are living in a community where a terrorist has recently exploded two devices in a crowd of innocent people. Actually, you don't have to imagine this because it happened to the community of Boston on April 15th. You have been keeping up with the news and you are on the lookout for the two suspects who the authorities have released pictures of earlier this day. Now you are sitting in your home and hear a major gunfight going on in the street

When I was first elected to Congress in 2010, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution. It is an oath I take very seriously, so I am not supporting any of the changes proposed to this country’s gun laws. Rather than disarming law-abiding citizens, I believe we need to look at the mental health system in this country, and evaluate areas of improvement in order to help those suffering from mental illness.   Read more »