Last Updated on December 13, 2020
A top gun rights advocacy group is slamming Greg Abbott’s pick to fill the state senate seat being vacated by Pat Fallon.
Chris McNutt of Texas Gun Rights is going on the record to slam Texas House representative and establishment-backed candidate Drew Springer nearly a week ahead of the December 19th special election.
“Springer never co-authored our Constitutional Carry bill,” McNutt told National File, “and Springer even told [Jonathan] Stickland more than a dozen times he didn’t support Con Carry.”
“Springer even went on the record in the Texas Tribune in 2015 and told them he didn’t support Con Carry,” McNutt explained.
“And now Springer has filed a bill a gun bill month ago for the 2021 legislative session in the effort to be seen as pro-gun, but it’s really just a political stunt. In fact, his bill is the same language as H.B. 1911 from the 2017 session — also known as ‘Compromise Carry’,” McNutt explained.
“Springer claims his language is a ‘placeholder’ to make it better later in the session,” said McNutt, “but if Springer really wanted to file a better bill, he could’ve just used our original Constitutional Carry bill language as a ‘placeholder’.”
“This bill Springer filed is a watered down piece of crap,” launched McNutt.
Though Texas has the reputation of being the wild west when it comes to gun rights, it was illegal to carry openly in the state without a permit to do so as recently as 2015.
With just over a year past former House Speaker’s now-infamous gun fight with Second Amendment advocates during the 2019 session, a strong showing by Democrats in 2018, and the prospect of more federal gun control looming with a potential Biden administration, the gun fights in Texas don’t look to be ending soon.
And McNutt isn’t the only one dragging Springer’s gun record through the mud.
Leading conservatives who’ve served in the Texas state legislature have also slammed state Rep. Drew Springer’s record on 2nd amendment rights ahead of the Texas state Senate runoff election between Springer and Dallas businesswoman Shelley Luther.
State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-92), who is deeply familiar with Springer from the Texas House of Representatives, exposed Springer’s shameful conduct behind closed doors.
“I know Representative Drew Springer well – we served together in the Texas House for the last eight years,” Stickland said in a statement to the National File. “It is no secret to the members that protecting the second amendment is not a priority to him.”
He went on to describe situations where Springer previously declined to advance Texans’ second amendment rights.
“During three different sessions I personally carried the legislation to have constitutional carry in Texas. Each time I asked for Drew’s help and he refused. We requested his co sponsorship in person, in his own office, at his desk of the floor, via email, and also on the phone,” Stickland added.
“He refused our efforts for help, and ignored the hundreds of constituents from his district who signed petitions for him to sign on.”
Stickland urged voters not to believe Springer’s claims of being a champion of the 2nd amendment.
“Now he wants a promotion to the Senate and he knows it polls well: saying he’s pro 2nd amendment on the campaign trail is easy, when he had the chance to act, he did nothing,” Stickland stated.
Stickland then slammed Springer, describing him as a RINO who is totally undeserving of higher office.
“We have enough do-nothing Republicans In Name Only in elected office,” he added. “Voters who reject these weak kneed Republicans should reject Springer’s attempt at a promotion and hold him accountable for his lack of action when they gave him the chance to do something the last eight years.”
Former state Rep. Matt Rinaldi (R-115) confirmed Stickland’s remarks in his statement to the National File.
“I joint-authored Rep. Stickland’s constitutional carry bill in 2017 and co-authored it in 2015 and Drew Springer refused to support our attempts to pass this legislation,” Rinaldi said. “His filing of a similar bill this session appears to be a transparent attempt to deflect criticism of his past opposition to permitless carry. As soon as the election is over, he will abandon the bill as he has in the past.”
Springer’s opponent, Shelley Luther, rose to prominence after resisting Gov. Greg Abbott’s lockdown restrictions in April and keeping her hair salon open for business. Luther was subsequently jailed for her patriotic defiance, and has since entered politics to challenge feckless Republicans that oppose Texans’ most basic freedoms.
Stickland even cut a YouTube video entitled “Drew Springer Exposed” all about the issue.
