After Republicans lost control of the Texas House and the governor’s office, Democrats have moved quickly to file a large set of bills that would restrict firearm transfers, possession, and use across the state. The proposals, introduced for the upcoming legislative session, range from temporary confiscation orders issued without a prior hearing to age limits on rifles, private-sale background checks, and expanded criminal penalties. With Democrats now holding the House majority and the governorship, these measures face a clearer path than they did under previous Republican majorities. The Senate remains under Republican control.
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The bills filed so far include:
HB 218 (Johnson): would create extreme-risk protective orders, including temporary orders issued without notice. A family or household member or a peace officer could apply if they allege the person has a serious mental illness and poses an immediate danger because of access to firearms. The person would have to turn over their guns within 24 hours; a full order would last up to a year and could be renewed. Possessing a gun in violation would be a Class A misdemeanor.
HB 173 (Moody): would make it a state jail felony to transfer a semiautomatic rifle that takes a detachable magazine and is larger than .22 caliber to anyone under 21, with exceptions for peace officers, current or honorably discharged military, and some temporary loans at a range or hunt.
HB 576 (Lalani): would bar registered sex offenders from buying a firearm, but only for registration based on an offense committed on or after Sept. 1, 2027.
HB 103 (Martinez): would expand the state crime of reckless discharge of a firearm so it also covers counties of 500,000 or more people, not just cities of 100,000 or more.
SB 80 (Zaffirini): would prohibit certain transfers, purchases, and possession of assault weapons and would create criminal offenses.
HB 606 (Lalani): would prohibit transferring firearms to, or the purchase or possession of firearms by, people under 21, and would create a criminal offense.
HB 610 (Lalani): would prohibit transferring firearms to certain recipients under 21.
HB 857 (Anchía): would prohibit transferring certain semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients under 21, and would create a criminal offense and increase a penalty.
HB 771 (Sethi): would prohibit transferring certain semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients, and would create a criminal offense and increase a penalty.
HB 806 (Reynolds): would prohibit transferring semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients and would increase a criminal penalty.
HB 613 (Lalani): would require a national instant criminal background check on private firearm transfers and would create a criminal offense.
HB 612 (Lalani): would prohibit a sex offender from possessing a firearm.
HB 609 (Lalani): would increase the criminal penalty for making a firearm accessible to a child.
HB 658 (Moody): would change the prosecution and punishment of making a firearm accessible to a child and would increase a criminal penalty.
HB 618 (Moody): would restrict transferring firearm magazines to people who are prohibited from possessing the type of firearm the magazine is made for, and would create a criminal offense.
HB 659 (Moody): would require licensed firearms dealers to report certain sales or transfers of multiple firearms or magazines to law enforcement, and would create a criminal offense.
HB 660 (Moody): would require certain people already prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm to dispose of firearms they own, possess, or control.
HB 712 (Gámez): would address a city or county's authority to regulate or prohibit carrying a firearm in certain libraries.
HB 776 (Sethi): would address expulsion-related offenses involving possessing, carrying, exhibiting, or using a firearm on or within 1,000 feet of school property.
HB 859 (Anchía): would increase the criminal penalty for discharging a firearm in certain municipalities.
The volume of filings marks a clear shift following the recent election results that ended years of Republican majorities in the House and the executive branch. Whether any of the proposals advance will depend on the Republican-controlled Senate and the priorities of the new governor once the session begins.