Sen. John Cornyn Booed At Texas GOP Convention Over Willingness To Surrender To Democrats On Guns

Cornyn was met with hostile boos and jeers denouncing his support for a bill that will likely include constitutionally questionable measures.

Cornyn booed 'viciously' after taking gun control deal back to Texas GOP



U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) was loudly booed at the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston, where the state GOP adopted a resolution condemning the bipartisan gun control framework he has negotiated in the Senate.

As Cornyn took the stage to speak Friday afternoon, members of the audience chanted "no red flags" and "say no to Cornyn," drowning out his remarks with furious objections to the new gun control measures proposed by a gang of 20 senators in the wake of the elementary school massacre in Uvalde, Texas.

\u201cUS Sen John Cornyn gets viciously booed during much of his speech here at the Republican Party of Texas Convention. Here\u2019s his closing remarks and the cascade of boos.\u201d
— Jeremy Wallace (@Jeremy Wallace) 1655492225

According to NPR's the Texas Newsroom, many of the people attending the convention called Cornyn a RINO — Republican in name only — for being the lead Republican negotiator on the gun deal, which would fund mental health programs and incentivize states to pass "red-flag" laws.

Gun rights activists oppose red-flag laws, which permit authorities to seek a court order to take an individual's firearms away if that person is believed to be a danger to themself or others, on the grounds that they have insufficient due process protections to prevent abuse. The bipartisan framework would not enact a federal red-flag law, instead it would provide financial incentives to state governments that choose to enact such laws. It would also expand background checks for gun purchases to include the juvenile and mental health records of people under 21.

Cornyn attempted to defend the bipartisan deal during his speech, telling Texas Republicans it would include "more mental health resources, more support for our schools and making sure that violent criminals and the mentally ill cannot buy a firearm," according to reporter Sergio Martínez-Beltrán. But the crowd was unwilling to listen.

\u201cAs Cornyn talks, folks are rowdy. Chanting \u201cno red flags\u201d and \u201csay no to Cornyn.\u201d\n\nWhen Cornyn talks about electing new leadership, folks scream \u201clike Cornyn!\u201d\u201d
— Sergio Mart\u00ednez-Beltr\u00e1n (@Sergio Mart\u00ednez-Beltr\u00e1n) 1655491050

Pictures posted on Twitter showed convention goers tossing lanyards with Cornyn's name on them into the trash.

\u201cTX GOP convention: red lanyards are @JohnCornyn lanyards. Friend wrote me: "People are throwing them away in droves to get a different one." \n\nNow Texans just need to throw him out of office.\u201d
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@Pedro L. Gonzalez) 1655477901

Earlier on Thursday, the Republican Party of Texas' Platform Committee unanimously approved a resolution that condemned the gun deal Cornyn negotiated with Democrats and the other nine Republicans who are in favor of it, Texas Scorecard reported.

The text of the resolution reads:

Whereas those under 21 are most likely to be victims of violent crime and thus most likely to need to defend themselves.

Whereas “red flag laws” violate one’s right to due process and are a pre-crime punishment of people not adjudicated guilty.

Whereas waiting periods on gun purchases harm those who need to acquire the means of self defense in emergencies such as riots.

Whereas all gun control is a violation of the Second Amendment and our God given rights.

We reject the so called “bipartisan gun agreement”, and we rebuke Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).

As of yet, there is no draft bill for the gun control deal. Several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have expressed reservations about throwing their full support behind the framework before seeing the legislative text.

House Republicans tell Texas to continue fighting Biden's federal overreach



Republican members of Congress from the Texas delegation are encouraging the state of Texas to continue fighting federal overreach by the Biden administration related to the energy industry.

In a letter made available to TheBlaze by the office of Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), the lawmakers applaud executive actions taken by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) directing state agencies to use "all lawful powers and tools to challenge any federal action that threatens the continued strength, vitality, and independence of the energy industry."

"We support your efforts and encourage you and the entire Texas Legislature to continue to hold the line against the dangerous and irresponsible federal action. The Biden Administration is using unelected bureaucrats to consolidate power in a federal city 2,000 miles away from the dome of our State Capitol," the letter says.

Since President Joe Biden took office in January, he has signed a series of executive orders on climate change, directing the secretary of the interior to pause granting new permits for oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters. Biden also canceled the Keystone XL oil pipeline project on his first day as president, a move that eliminated an estimated tens of thousands of jobs related to the completion of the pipeline.

The letter calls on the state of Texas to challenge Biden's administration by asserting its 10th Amendment rights to defend Texas' oil and natural gas industries.

"As the American leader in energy production and innovation, Texas needs to maintain primacy and hold the line against federal overreach," the letter adds. It concludes, "We therefore urge you to continue your history of affirming and defending the 10th Amendment and remind the federal bureaucrats and politicians in Washington encroaching on our State's affairs, '[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'"

The letter was signed by Reps. Chip Roy, August Pfluger, Jodey C. Arrington, Dan Crenshaw, Randy K. Weber, Louie Gohmert, Michael Cloud, Ronny Jackson, Michael McCaul, Lance Gooden, Brian Babin, Roger Williams, and Pat Fallon.

On Jan. 28, Abbott signed an executive order directing state agencies to combat federal overreach by identifying potential litigation, notice-and-comment opportunities, and "any other means of preventing federal overreach within the law."

"The men and women who work in the energy industry produce the affordable energy that powers our lives and they are vital to the Texas economy," Gov. Abbott said at the time. "Texas is a pro-energy state, and we will not sit idly by and allow the Biden administration or local governments to destroy jobs and raise energy costs for Texas families. My Executive Order will help ensure that the federal government cannot take away the livelihoods of Texans who work so hard to provide our state and our nation with the energy we need."