Advocates for stricter gun laws are pushing for new legislation as Democrats are set to take control in Congress and several states after the midterm elections.
Groups such as Everytown for Gun Safety, Brady United Against Gun Violence, and Giffords hailed the Democratic wins, with Brady United vowing to “counter the Trump administration’s deadly ‘guns everywhere’ agenda, which has put millions of lives at risk.”
“The election of so many candidates who have made evidence-based gun violence prevention strategies a priority is an opportunity to make meaningful progress toward a safer country,” Brady president Kris Brown wrote in a Nov. 4 statement.
Brown stated that an “assault weapons” ban, background checks for all firearms transfers including private sales, and funding for community violence intervention programs designed to prevent shootings, are among the group’s priorities.
“Brady is ready to work with lawmakers to advance these solutions, strengthen gun violence prevention solutions, and build an America free from gun violence,” Brown wrote.
Everytown for Gun Safety touted the more than $53 million it spent on midterm election campaigns.
According to the group, 447 Moms Demand Action volunteers ran in 44 states, and of the 403 races that were called by Nov. 6, 325, or 81 percent, were won.
Everytown stated that the Everytown Action Fund and Victory Fund and the Democratic Governors Association worked together to elect “gun sense governors” in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wisconsin.
The group said that it outspent the National Rifle Association (NRA), Gun Owners of America, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation in the midterm campaigns.
“All in all, Everytown organizations invested more than $53 million this election cycle to help elect gun sense champions across the nation — and it paid off,” the group said in its Nov. 6 statement.
Gun control organizations did not respond to emails requesting further comment by publication time.
NRA Reaction
An NRA spokesman said the Democratic successes in the midterms had little to do with guns. Still, he said, Second Amendment advocates are facing serious challenges.
“If you look at public polling going into the election, gun control and gun issues rather polled about 1 to 3 percent, depending on the polls … this was not a gun control mandate election,” Justin Davis, NRA’s director for public affairs, told The Epoch Times.
However, gun control proponents are striking while the iron is hot, Davis said.
The National Conference of State Legislatures expects that Democrats will control 24 state legislatures, with Republicans holding 21, leaving four divided. The NCSL expects Democrats to have the governor’s office and both houses—commonly called a trifecta—in 22 states. Republicans would have 17 and 10 would be divided.
An NRA article reported that on Monday, Texas legislators pre-filed about 35 firearm-related bills for the upcoming 2027 legislative session, most of them gun-control measures.
The bills cover everything from bans on certain semiautomatic rifles commonly called “assault weapons,” to gun storage laws, to laws raising the legal age to purchase and possess a firearm. Davis said these are all laws that gun control advocates have pushed around the country for decades.
In January, Democrats will take control of the Texas House of Representatives, and Gina Hinojosa, also a Democrat, will become the state’s first Hispanic female governor.
But having a majority in the legislature is only one part of implementing a political agenda, Davis said.
Court Battles Anticipated
That the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to hear cases related to many of the proposed laws, according to Davis. The high court has ruled in favor of gun owners in several landmark cases, and the NRA is keeping track of developments in legislatures around the country and is planning to join other Second Amendment supporters in fighting gun laws that it determines violate the Second Amendment.
“We have lobbyists in all 50 states as well as Capitol Hill, and a world-class legal team. And if they think that they can pass these gun control laws, they’re sorely mistaken. And if they do pass them, we’ll see them in court,” Davis said.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms issued a statement also vowing to fight more gun control laws.
Andrew Gottlieb, the Committee’s executive director, described the situation as “dire” and said he expects it to get more challenging as Democrats go to work around the country. He added that his organization will be working as well.
“We fully expect anti-gunners in all Democrat-controlled legislatures to push an extremist agenda,” Gottlieb stated. “Our state affiliates—our boots on the ground grassroots organizations—are preparing for action in every state capital.”
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