Sen. John Cornyn’s (R-TX) days as the Lone Star State’s senior senator may be numbered, as grassroots gun owners rally behind Ken Paxton and blast Cornyn’s track record of advancing Joe Biden’s gun control agenda.
The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) has launched scathing attacks on Cornyn’s Second Amendment record. For its part, NAGR PAC has branded Cornyn as “the Gun Control Lobby’s best friend in the GOP” and has described him as “one of the United States Senate’s leading architects of gun control.”
Cornyn’s role in passing “The 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” stands as the centerpiece of gun rights groups’ criticism. Cornyn partnered with Democrat Senator Chris Murphy and the Biden administration to pass what became “the largest federal gun control package in 30 years.” The legislation funded “red flag” gun confiscation programs with $750 million in taxpayer dollars, expanded federal background checks by redefining what constitutes a “gun dealer,” and created new federal firearms offenses.
Cornyn’s anti-gun actions go beyond his vote for this landmark gun control bill. His championing of the “FIX-NICS” Act in 2017-2018 dramatically expanded the federal gun ban database, making it easier for bureaucrats to infringe on Americans’ gun rights without due process. The law particularly impacted veterans, with over 70,000 additional veterans having their gun rights stripped since it was passed.
Taylor Rhodes, NAGR’s Communications Director, emphasized the impact on veterans: “Since then, an additional 70,568 of America’s finest veterans have had their gun rights stripped without due process because of this reckless act.” The number of VA beneficiaries reported to the NICS Index rose from 194,325 before Cornyn’s legislation to 264,893 by December 2023.
In the case of Ken Paxton, he has positioned himself as the uncompromising Second Amendment defender that gun rights organizations believe Texas needs in Washington. His record as Texas Attorney General has earned him an A+ rating from Gun Owners of America and official endorsements from both GOA and NAGR PAC.
These endorsements come after Paxton demonstrated a strong pro- gun record during his time as Attorney General. Paxton partnered with GOA in federal lawsuits against Biden’s ATF to successfully block the pistol brace ban and the “universal registration rule,” securing preliminary injunctions that protected Texans and GOA members nationwide. In 2022, he filed a lawsuit against the ATF to protect Texas-made suppressors from federal overreach, and in 2024, he challenged Biden’s expanded background check rules on private sales.
Gun Owners of America President Erich Pratt praised Paxton’s body of work as Texas Attorney General: “Ken Paxton is the no-compromise conservative fighter we need in Washington. As Texas Attorney General, he has repeatedly proven that he will not back down from defending our God-given Second Amendment rights.”
These endorsements will carry significant weight in Republican primaries. Chris McNutt, president of Texas Gun Rights, stated: “Gun owners in Texas have been burned too many times by establishment politicians like John Cornyn. Ken Paxton has a record of actually going on offense to protect the Second Amendment — in the courtroom and on the campaign trail.”
The upcoming Republican primary contest in the Lone Star State will put the strength of grassroots gun owners to the test. Primary elections serve as crucial accountability mechanisms for disciplining politicians who deviate from their constituents’ values.
In most states nationwide, Democrats are largely anti-gun. As a result, voters are left with few choices in the general election if the Republican running is a typical establishment hack. Often, they will either hold their nose and vote for the ‘lesser of two evils” or sit out the election altogether.
The good news is that primary elections give pro-gun voters a chance not only to have their voices heard, but also to impose their will on politicians with shaky voting records. By supporting a credible challenger that aligns more with their political values, voters can send a strong message to safe incumbents that their demands can no longer be ignored.
With respect to the Cornyn-Paxton matchup, recent polling indicates the race has tightened considerably since Paxton entered the mix. An Emerson College poll from August 2025 shows Cornyn and Paxton in a dead heat, with 30% supporting Cornyn and 29% supporting Paxton, while 37% remain undecided.
This race is shaping up to be a close affair. If Texas gun owners mobilize behind Paxton, Cornyn could become the latest casualty of a populist revolt that refuses to forgive—or forget—betrayals on Second Amendment issues.
GOP Sells Out USA, Gun Control Bill Passes, Next Stop President Biden
About José Niño
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
