One of the most frustrating things about the political side of being a gun rights supporter is that a number of Republicans who run on a pro-2A policy platform often vote in decidedly anti-2A fashion when it comes times to vote on legislation.
Those Republicans are often called RINOs (Republican In Name Only) when they’re found out.
Now, to be fair, it’s possible that many of those who are accused of being RINOs vote with Republicans on many issues, but in my mind, there are a few topics that are non-negotiable to honestly call oneself Republican, and one of those issues is being for gun rights.
One Senator who has been called a RINO more than once over gun votes is Texas Senator John Cornyn. You may remember that Cornyn was criticized by the National Association for Gun Rights for this. The NAGR Staff wrote in 2024,
“John Cornyn sponsored the anti-gun ‘FIX-NICS’ Act, forcing it through in a massive early 2018 spending bill. 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,” stated Taylor Rhodes, NAGR’s Communications Director.
Not the most flattering viewpoint on Cornyn.
And it may have finally come back to bite him. Nathan Worcester writes,
A faceoff that could define the future of the Senate has ended with a defeat for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) at the hands of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who benefited from a late endorsement by President Donald Trump.
The Associated Press called the race for Paxton at 9 p.m. ET in the May 26 election that caps off the most expensive Senate primary in history.
So, what happens now?
Now, there is the actual election that will happen later this year, and Paxton will be running against a very left-leaning Democrat for that Senate seat.
I think it likely that Paxton will win that election. I certainly hope that I’m right about that as Paxton going into the Senate could be the final push that nationwide constitutional carry needs to finally get through Congress.