James Talarico has opposed constitutional carry, while supporting “universal background checks” & red flag laws.
Now he wants to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.
Talarico will find out at the polls this November that Texans will never accept tyranny. pic.twitter.com/KouxsylOJq
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) March 12, 2026
When Gun Owners of America took to social media to warn Texans about James Talarico, they did not mince words. “James Talarico has opposed constitutional carry, while supporting ‘universal background checks’ & red flag laws,” the organization posted. “Now he wants to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. Talarico will find out at the polls this November that Texans will never accept tyranny.”
The warning reflects growing alarm among Second Amendment advocates as Talarico, a Democratic state representative from Round Rock, advances toward the November 2026 general election against Republican incumbent John Cornyn. A former teacher who frequently invokes his Christian faith when discussing policy, Talarico won the March 2026 Democratic primary and now stands as his party’s standard-bearer in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
Talarico’s legislative record on firearms leaves little doubt about where he stands. In 2021, he voted against HB 1927, the landmark constitutional carry bill that eliminated the requirement for a License to Carry for adults 21 and older to carry handguns openly or concealed. On his Vote Smart political courage test, he answered Yes to both “Should a license be required for gun ownership?” and “Do you generally support gun-control legislation?”
In that same questionnaire, Talarico explained his philosophy. “I respect the Second Amendment rights of our constituents and believe that Texas should lead the way in promoting safe firearm regulations,” he wrote. “The uptick of violence — from deadly domestic abuse to suicide and school shootings — our state and nation have experienced is simply due to the fact it is too easy for the wrong people to gain access to guns. Texans agree we need to make our communities safer through common-sense gun safety measures and greater mental health resources. This means ensuring universal background checks and restricting gun purchases for people convicted of felonies or violent misdemeanors.”
The Freedom Index, which measures legislative fidelity to constitutional and limited government principles, gave Talarico a cumulative score of just 9 percent across his four legislative sessions. In 2023, Talarico voted No on HB 2837, a bill prohibiting credit card companies from surveilling, reporting, or tracking the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and accessories through merchant category codes.
Talarico’s most viral moment on gun policy came in May 2023, days after the Allen outlet mall shooting that killed eight people. Texas Republicans brought HB 2960 to the House floor, a bill to loosen gun regulations. Talarico delivered an impassioned floor speech against it.
“We’re the only country in the world that allows this to happen,” he declared. “Globally, we are not an outlier in mental health. We’re not an outlier in school security. We’re an outlier in the number of readily accessible weapons of war in our community.” He continued, “You can’t offer thoughts and prayers on Monday and then debate a bill to loosen gun regulations on Tuesday.”
After the March 2026 Austin mass shooting on West Sixth Street, Talarico again called for gun restrictions. “We prayed, and God sent lawmakers with common-sense gun safety proposals like universal background checks, red flag laws and closing the gun show loophole,” he stated.
His Senate campaign platform makes his priorities explicit. According to his official website, Talarico supports universal background checks for all gun sales, prosecuting firearms traffickers, safe storage requirements for firearms around children in the home, and raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles with military-style features like high-capacity magazines.
Texas Gun Rights described him as “the more dangerous” of the two Democratic Senate candidates in the primary, describing him as someone who “plays the ‘reasonable’ gun control advocate — the type who thinks disarming you is an act of Christian charity.” TXGR President Chris McNutt’s assessment was blunt, stating, “Anyone — Democrat or Republican — who thinks they can run for office in Texas while supporting a gun confiscation agenda is about to get the political fight of their life.”
Texans who value their Second Amendment rights should take Talarico at his word. His legislative record tells a consistent story. He opposed constitutional carry and voted against protecting gun owners from financial surveillance. He supports universal background checks, red flag laws, safe storage mandates, and age restrictions on rifle purchases. Pro-gun organizations such as Texas Gun Rights and Gun Owners of America have all sounded the alarm.
Talarico dresses his gun control agenda in the language of faith and reasonableness, but the policies he advocates would infringe on the rights of law-abiding Texans while doing nothing to stop criminals who already ignore the law. In a state that enshrined Constitutional Carry into law, Talarico represents the opposite vision, one where the government decides who may exercise their natural right to self-defense and under what conditions. For gun rights to continue to prosper in the Lone Star State, candidates like Talarico must be defeated at the polls.
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About José Niño
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
I live in Texas. On my TV channels, I watch Talarico’s TV ads.
He is clean cut and articulate.
He presents himself as a devote Christian who promotes Christian values.
Sounds great, doesn’t it?
But if you dig into his record in the Texas house, every single one of his votes stands in direct opposition to my values.
He reminds me of Pete Buttiegieg in his 2016 Presidential campaign…clean cut and articulate.
We the voters have to look past the public persona and do our research.
GOA did the work now spread the word and most important vote.
This anti American fake preacher,pedophile needs to be gone
Beto Jr. will lose.
Typical communist — err demoncrap, ALWAYS wanting to disarm the public. Mao did this, Stalin did this, Pol Pot did this even Hitler did this — “For a kinder, gentler nation”. I used to know how many MILLIONS of people DIED because their own or another government disarmed them and then starved them and murdered them but it’s over 100 million —DEAD. Give up your firearm at your own risk. Having a firearm for sport, for hunting, for collecting, for self defense is all well and good BUT the reason the second amendment exists is it’s the only way to… Read more »
I’m seeing this new fraudster getting more exposure every day now.
Is this punk, Talarico, old enough to shave, much less vote? Another gun grabbing democrat. I hope Paxton beats Cornyn for Senate.
More good news out of the great state of Texas: JUST IN: Jury Finds Nine Antifa Members Guilty of Terrorism Charges in Attack on Texas ICE Detention Center The nine indicted defendants: Cameron Arnold, a/k/a Autunm Hill, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, a/k/a Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, Ines Soto, and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada. Last 4th of July, Antifa members descended on the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. The terrorists fired off explosives, vandalized federal vehicles, and fired shots at police officers. A police officer was shot in the neck. The defendants were found… Read more »
Talarico is b low job Betos son.
Even Satan can quote scripture.
Talarico wants to restrict and ban guns from all law abiding American gun owners.
He is backed by Brady, Everytown and Soros.
Do not trust this two faced far leftist democrap
Another thing is Talarico wants open borders.
He wants the border wall taken down so a billion illegals can flood into America and turn America into another India
Talarico wants to abolish ICE and Border Patrol.
Talarico wants to give all illegals $1,000 a month in cash , so they can buy beer, cigarettes and weed
Luke 22:36 – “But now, if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.”
Exodus 22:2ESV
If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,
Hmmm….had I done that when I caught a crackhead stripping my ’62 Vette/plundering one of my garages, the PA would have put all their efforts at prosecuting me to the fullest possible. Crackie stole $25,000+before I caught him at Sig red laser point. got 3 yrs probation. Won’t be dialing 911 ever again. Bluetrash cans staged for that thrillin’ southern Missouri river run.