Sen. Thom Tillis is playing political gamesmanship by urging his Republican colleagues to delay a major budget reconciliation vote that would keep Sen. John Cornyn stuck in Washington instead of campaigning in Texas. The move is designed to give Cornyn breathing room ahead of his high-stakes runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton, a staunch Second Amendment champion who has repeatedly sued the Biden administration over gun control measures and border-related threats that directly impact lawful firearm owners. For the 2A community, this isn’t just insider baseball; it’s a stark reminder of how Senate Republicans continue to protect one of their own establishment figures at the expense of a candidate with a proven record of fighting federal overreach on everything from ATF abuses to unconstitutional red flag laws.
Cornyn’s vulnerability in this primary stems from his long history of compromising on gun rights, most notoriously as the architect of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that expanded background checks, funded red flag incentives, and opened the door to further restrictions while delivering almost nothing meaningful on border security or mental health reform. Paxton, by contrast, has used his office as a bulwark against Biden’s pistol brace rule, ghost gun regulations, and attempts to weaponize federal agencies against Texas gun owners. The fact that Tillis is reportedly willing to derail critical legislative timing to shield Cornyn speaks volumes about the GOP Senate leadership’s priorities: preserving the status quo and seniority over rewarding a conservative fighter who actually aligns with the values of the firearms community and understands that border chaos directly fuels both cartel violence and domestic gun control arguments.
The implications for gun owners are crystal clear. A Cornyn victory would likely preserve a reliable vote for Mitch McConnell’s brand of incrementalism that has delivered little substantive protection for the Second Amendment during crucial moments. A Paxton win would send a powerful message that even entrenched incumbents can be held accountable for working with Democrats on gun legislation while Texas suffers record illegal crossings and the associated crime that anti-gunners inevitably exploit to push more restrictions. The 2A community should be watching this race closely because it represents a rare opportunity to replace a frequent compromiser with a battle-tested defender who doesn’t view constitutional carry, suppressor freedom, or meaningful reciprocity as bargaining chips in some larger DC game.
