The myth of a pro-gun GOP is unraveling as “RINO” incumbents face mounting backlash from grassroots conservatives.
Growing scrutiny from no-compromise gun rights lobbies like Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) has played a crucial role in exposing these Republicans who are shaky on Second Amendment issues.
No sitting Republican embodies this crisis of confidence more than Texas Senator John Cornyn.
Once a trusted conservative, Cornyn led the Republican negotiations for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 — the largest federal gun control package passed in nearly three decades. This law expanded background checks for buyers under 21, provided funding for state “red flag” laws, and closed so-called “loopholes” relating to domestic abusers. It even set new federal crimes for straw purchases and arms trafficking.
GOA and NAGR branded Cornyn a traitor to the Second Amendment. Chris McNutt, the founder of Texas Gun Rights, denounced Cornyn’s actions as “a clear violation of the trust placed in him by voters,” and GOA relentlessly campaigned against him, warning that Cornyn’s compromise would embolden anti-gun activists. The Collin County Republican Party, which spans large portions of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, went so far as to officially censure him for his willingness to compromise on gun control.
Cornyn’s role in this legislation has triggered a fierce 2026 primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, openly running to his right on gun issues.
Next in line of RINOs in the Senate is Maine’s Senator Susan Collins, who has made compromising on gun control her trademark.
Collins has repeatedly sponsored measures to expand background checks and has previously supported the now-defunct 1994 assault weapons ban. In 2022, GOA’s leadership called her out as one of several “RINO Republicans quietly negotiating with anti-gun Democrats.”
Pro-gun activists accuse Collins of bowing to liberal pressure from her home state and subverting the Second Amendment. They see her legislative record — support for red flag confiscation orders and several background checks — as a gross betrayal of her professed principles. Despite her best attempts to frame her votes as moderate, “commonsense” solutions, gun rights organizations insist that her actions demonstrate why entrenched Republican incumbents cannot be taken at their word when it comes to gun rights.
Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick offers the clearest example that an “R” after a politician’s name is no guarantee of a pro-Second Amendment record.
Endorsed by anti-gun groups like Everytown for Gun Safety and Giffords, Fitzpatrick supported sweeping gun control bills, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, and new restrictions aimed at closing the so-called “Charleston loophole” — a section of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 that allows firearms dealers to complete gun sales after three business days even if a background check has not been completed. Fitzpatrick was one of only 14 House Republicans to vote for the 2022 gun legislation.
House Republicans who supported the BSCA have mostly retired, lost their primaries, or now face relentless attacks from gun rights groups. As Ammoland has recently reported, Texas Representative Tony Gonzales is currently facing a repeat primary challenge from pro-gun YouTuber Brandon Herrera, with his support for the bill cited as a central grievance.
The story these legislators tell is a cautionary one. Mere party affiliation is no substitute for a proven record of defending the Second Amendment. Pro-gun constituents, organizations, and activists have learned at great cost that rhetoric means little without voting discipline and courage under pressure.
The only way to secure gun rights is by holding wavering Republicans accountable through primary elections featuring principled, unapologetic defenders of the Second Amendment. The fate of Cornyn, Collins, Fitzpatrick, and others serves as a warning. Betrayals on gun rights will not be forgotten, and the only way to ensure pro-Second Amendment representation is through robust challenges in the primaries and a willingness to replace even long-seated incumbents with candidates who will keep their oath on the Constitution.
In the end, only uncompromising vigilance can keep Republican elected officials aligned with the Second Amendment.
Ken Paxton Emerges as Grassroots 2A Champion Against John Cornyn
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.
