WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • James Talarico confirmed that an “assault weapons” ban remains under consideration if he is elected to the U.S. Senate.
  • Talarico previously endorsed universal background checks, magazine restrictions, firearm purchase limits, and handgun design standards.
  • His Texas House record includes opposition to constitutional carry measures and support for additional firearm restrictions.
  • After the 2022 Uvalde shooting, Talarico coauthored proposals to raise the purchasing age for certain semiautomatic rifles.

Democratic Party U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico confirmed that an “assault weapons” ban remains under consideration as his closely watched campaign enters its final stretch. The campaign trail clip puts his gun control positions squarely before Texas voters.

During a September 9 interview with NewsNation’s Leland Vittert, Talarico was pressed about whether he would support Senate bans targeting certain semiautomatic firearms and magazines. Vittert pointed to a 2020 video in which Talarico backed both proposals.

Vittert asked, “If there was an assault weapons ban or large-capacity magazine ban [in] the Senate, would you vote for it?” Talarico responded that he would support such a ban depending on its details.

Vittert then sought to remove any ambiguity, asking, “So, an assault weapons ban is still on the table?” Talarico answered with a firm confirmation.

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“Absolutely, and I think what most Texans want is a senator who’s going to honor the Second Amendment. I believe that every Texan has a right to bear arms [to] protect themselves and their families.”

Talarico continued, “I don’t pick and choose between the amendments in our Constitution, but no amendment is absolute, including the freedom of speech.” He then presented his gun control approach as a matter of safety.

“And so what we need is common sense gun safety measures. And that’s exactly what I worked on in the legislature.”

The September interview was hardly the first time Talarico had endorsed restrictions on firearms and magazines. During a September 2020 video event hosted by South Asian American Voter Empowerment Texas, he offered a lengthy catalog of policies he wanted to pursue.

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“I think universal background checks, I think closing the gun show loophole, an assault weapon ban, a large capacity magazine ban, I think restricting large firearm purchases, I think even we should start to think about handgun design safety standards as well. So probably in that order are the things I’m most interested in championing and working on,” he said.

The list was not exactly modest. It covered background checks, gun show sales, firearms, magazine capacity, the size of firearm purchases, and even design standards for handguns.

Second Amendment advocates have warned that there is no established definition of “assault weapons.” They have also argued that attempted bans in several predominantly blue states amounted to prohibitions on the vast majority of semiautomatic rifles.

Talarico, who currently serves in the Texas House of Representatives, also invoked the wording of the Second Amendment while defending his position during the September interview. He suggested many politicians discussing the amendment had failed to read it closely.

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“A lot of politicians like to talk about the Second Amendment. Very few have actually read the Second Amendment because, if they did, they would know that the words ‘well regulated’ are right there in the text of the amendment itself,” Talarico stated.

His legislative record includes opposition to measures expanding or protecting carry rights. Talarico voted against House Bill 1177, which allowed constitutional carry of handguns during and after natural disasters.

He also opposed House Bill 1927, which established permitless carry, also described as constitutional carry, for eligible adults who were 21 or older. His other gun control votes included opposition to bills declaring Texas a Second Amendment sanctuary and recognizing gun licenses issued by other states.

Talarico also voted against legislation restricting “no firearms” clauses. Together, those votes provide a legislative record that aligns with the restrictions he has discussed publicly.

In 2019, Talarico authored or introduced House Bill 3508, which would have moved Texas from a “shall-issue” standard to a discretionary “may-issue” standard for handgun licenses. He also authored or introduced House Bill 3506 concerning recognition of out of state licenses for new residents.

After the 2022 Uvalde shooting, Talarico coauthored measures that included proposals to increase the purchasing age for certain semiautomatic rifles capable of accepting detachable magazines. His campaign comments and legislative work leave voters with a clear picture of the gun policies he is willing to champion in the Senate.

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