How the #2 Senate Republican Betrayed Gun Owners
Washington, D.C. is in full-blown panic.
Texas Senator John Cornyn — once the #2 Republican in the U.S. Senate — is staring down a major primary challenge in 2026. Polls now show Cornyn losing to other Republicans, and D.C. insiders are scrambling to figure out what went wrong.
But for gun owners, the answer is simple: Cornyn betrayed the Second Amendment.
Cornyn’s Fall from Grace
After losing his bid to become Senate Majority Leader — long considered his ultimate political ambition — Cornyn has seen his standing among Texas voters collapse. Every Beltway consultant and Republican establishment figure who cheered Cornyn’s every move is now panicking.
And the reason they’re panicking is clear: grassroots gun owners haven’t forgotten what Cornyn did.
Time and again, Cornyn sided with the anti-gun Left when it mattered most. And no matter how much money or D.C. media spin his allies pour into the next election, they can’t cover up his anti-gun record.
The 2022 Cornyn-Biden Gun Control Package
In 2022, Cornyn teamed up with President Joe Biden and Senator Chris Murphy to pass S.2938 — the largest federal gun control package in over 30 years.
Cornyn’s bill didn’t just tinker around the edges. It funded and expanded “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation across the country, using $750 million in taxpayer dollars to bankroll laws that allow the government to seize firearms without due process.
It empowered Biden’s ATF to crack down on private gun sales by redefining what it means to be a “gun dealer” — something the National Association for Gun Rights warned Cornyn about repeatedly.
It created a lifetime gun ban for many young Americans through a new federal registration scheme, and it introduced a brand-new gun ban targeting anyone who has had a “bad date,” opening the door to disarmament based on vague, unsubstantiated accusations.
After Biden signed the bill into law, Cornyn had the audacity to call it a “good start.” He said he was “happy to be part of [Biden’s] coalition of the rational.”
This wasn’t a mistake. It was a calculated betrayal.
The Aftermath: A Path to Universal Gun Registration
The long-term damage from the Cornyn-Murphy gun control package is still unfolding.
By 2024, President Biden was openly using Cornyn’s bill as the foundation to implement what he described as “the closest thing we have to universal gun registration.” Just like NAGR warned, the bill was never about stopping criminals — it was about laying the groundwork for massive federal overreach.
Repealing this mess will take years. Maybe decades. But this wasn’t Cornyn’s first betrayal.
Cornyn’s Role in the “FIX-NICS” Gun Ban
In 2017, Cornyn championed the so-called “FIX-NICS” Act — a bill that dramatically expanded the federal gun ban database. Rather than focusing on violent criminals, the bill made it easier for bureaucrats to flag law-abiding citizens — including over 250,000 veterans — and strip them of their gun rights without any due process.
Cornyn didn’t just support it. He whipped votes for it. And in 2018, he jammed it into a 900-page omnibus spending bill, threatening a government shutdown to force President Trump’s hand.
Thanks to Cornyn’s efforts, the NICS database has exploded. Today, it holds over 33 million records — and it’s growing by more than a million entries every year. If that pace holds, a quarter or even half of all Americans could lose their gun rights by mid-century.
A Pattern of Betrayal
Cornyn’s anti-gun history goes back even further.
In 2007, he helped pass the NICS “Improvement” Amendments Act (NIAA) by unanimous consent. Rather than voting against it, he took to the Senate floor to give a speech — not about defending gun rights, but about hunting in Africa.
Over the years, Cornyn has consistently sided with anti-gun forces when it mattered most:
- He voted to confirm Merrick Garland — Biden’s anti-gun Attorney General who’s now enforcing the very laws Cornyn helped pass.
- He voted to confirm Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State — the same Hillary Clinton who led the push for the UN’s Small Arms Treaty.
- He introduced legislation in 2016 that would have stripped Americans of their gun rights if they appeared on a secretive and error-prone “No Fly” list.
- He repeatedly voted to increase the spending authority of the ATF — even as the agency ramped up its war on lawful gun owners.
- And as Texas Attorney General, Cornyn promoted “Texas Exile,” a failed gun control program modeled after a Clinton-era federal scheme that blamed law-abiding gun owners for inner-city crime.
Why This Matters to All Gun Owners
This isn’t just about Texas.
Cornyn’s deep-pocketed political machine, his high-dollar donor network, and his Beltway allies are all working overtime to keep him in the Senate. Why? Because Cornyn is the Republican the gun control lobby loves to work with.
He gives their bills “bipartisan” credibility. He smooths the path for passage. And he always shows up when they need a token Republican to lend legitimacy to their schemes.
But now, the gun control lobby isn’t the only voice Cornyn is hearing.
What You Can Do
Gun owners across the country are rising up — and we need you to do the same.
Call Senator John Cornyn today at (202) 224-2934 and demand he apologize for his anti-gun record. His staff may try to deny it. They may claim he’s a pro-gun champion. But the facts don’t lie — and we’ve included every citation so you can check them for yourself.
If Cornyn had spent half as much time defending the Second Amendment as he did teaming up with Biden and Schumer, our rights would be in a far better place.
With just 19 months left until the midterm elections, this is our moment. We cannot let Cornyn or any other establishment Republican throw away this once-in-a-generation opportunity to pass real pro-gun reforms.
When you call, tell him to cosponsor H.R. 645, Congressman Thomas Massie’s Constitutional Carry bill, and demand a vote on the floor. Tell him to repeal his own disastrous 2022 and 2018 gun control bills. Tell him to rein in the ATF and support the National Association for Gun Rights’ Program for Freedom.
Then, make your most generous contribution to help us hold politicians like Cornyn accountable and protect the Second Amendment for the next generation.
The fight is on — and we’re not backing down.
This article was written and has not been updated since Monday, April 21, 2025.
About the Author
Taylor Rhodes is the Director of Communications at the National Association for Gun Rights. A seasoned political strategist and unapologetic defender of the Second Amendment, Taylor has led high-impact campaigns at both the state and national levels. He lives in Hoover, Alabama with his wife, Madison, and enjoys bourbon, golf, and collecting firearms—especially his 12.5” Geissele Super Duty.
