They say everything’s bigger in Texas. The hats, the steaks, the pride — and now, apparently, the legislative middle finger they just aimed squarely at anti-gun liberals. On May 13, the Texas House passed HB 3053, and it wasn’t just a policy move — it was a barbed-wire love letter to common sense. This legislation prohibits cities and counties from squandering taxpayer dollars on gun “buyback” programs, which anyone with a functioning brain stem knows are about as useful as screen doors on a submarine.
The bill, the first one introduced by freshman Rep. Wesley Virdell (R-Brady), slid through the lower chamber on an 85-56 vote, and not without fireworks. Virdell didn’t mince words. He called out these so-called “buybacks” for what they really are: expensive dog-and-pony shows dressed in confiscation cosplay that don’t reduce crime, don’t stop suicides, and serve no purpose beyond giving liberal officials the warm fuzzies.
Virdell cited actual data — a word that makes most progressives itch. “Based on the studies and some of the people who’ve actually participated in these gun ‘buybacks’ … huge costs of money from the taxpayers, and it doesn’t actually have any statistical evidence that it reduces crime or suicides,” he said, noting that in some cases, crime actually increased in those areas afterward. Imagine that — taking guns from law-abiding citizens doesn’t stop criminals who never planned to turn in their weapons. Who could’ve guessed?
Of course, Democrats clutched their pearls in horror. Rep. Gene Wu (D-Houston) led the charge into the land of manufactured outrage, wondering aloud how on earth local governments could be prevented from “protecting” their cities. Except, Gene, that’s not what this bill does. What it does do is stop city councils from burning through millions of taxpayer dollars so they can brag about a handful of rusted revolvers turned in by people who’d rather have grocery money than an old firearm.
When leftist lawmakers start whining about “local control,” it’s usually because their pet projects are about to get their funding cut. These are the same people who want local governments to decide everything — except when those local governments disagree with their progressive orthodoxy. Then it’s suddenly time for federal intervention. The hypocrisy would be comical if it weren’t so toxic.
To drive the point home, Virdell cited San Antonio Police Chief William McManus, who, despite heading up a major Texas city, has the common sense to know gun “buybacks” don’t work. He’s tried them in other cities and saw firsthand how they didn’t reduce violent crime. Deputy Chief Jesse Salame echoed that point, saying the guns turned in weren’t even the types typically used in street crimes. So basically, these programs are great for collecting Grandpa’s rusted hunting rifle but utterly useless for stopping gang violence.
Then we get the most unintentionally honest moment of the whole debate, courtesy of Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer (D-San Antonio). Trying to outmaneuver Virdell, he admitted that “buybacks” don’t cut crime but claimed they’re valuable because they “take guns out of circulation.”
There it is, folks. Right out in the open. The left doesn’t care if crime goes down — they care that you don’t have a gun. It’s not about public safety; it’s about control. They’d rather you be defenseless and dead than armed and capable. When Democrats say, “Nobody is coming for your guns,” they’re lying — and occasionally, one of them forgets to keep up the charade. Thanks for the honesty, Trey.
And it’s not just Texas noticing the failure of these programs. Virdell pointed to Baltimore’s buyback efforts, where they dropped the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $4.3 million on a scheme that, surprise, resulted in more homicides and firearm assaults. The feel-good optics of collecting unwanted guns did nothing for the actual citizens being shot at in Baltimore’s streets.
Meanwhile, over in Houston, officials flushed $1.1 million down the drain for similar programs in 2022 alone. Commissioner Rodney Ellis must be thrilled that his constituents are getting the high privilege of paying for something that doesn’t work.
After all the grandstanding and virtue signaling, HB 3053 cruised through its second reading with an even stronger vote: 90-49. Despite every dramatized speech, every appeal to emotion, and every empty claim about “community safety,” the facts won. For once, reason got the mic instead of being shouted down by activists with megaphones and no data.
This isn’t Virdell’s first rodeo when it comes to defending the Second Amendment. Before stepping into the Texas House, he served as the Texas State Director for Gun Owners of America. This bill was personal, and he was ready. “I’m glad it was a gun bill,” he said. “Right up my alley, which I’ve been doing for over a decade — fighting for gun bills.”
And what a way to start. In a climate where emotions too often bulldoze logic, Virdell planted the Lone Star flag in the middle of the debate and dared anyone to argue with facts. HB 3053 doesn’t just block ineffective programs — it sends a message that Texas isn’t going to let its cities waste money pretending to solve problems with policies that have never worked.
Gun buybacks sound nice on paper. But in practice, they’re a mirage — a PR stunt in public safety clothing. Texans deserve real solutions, not taxpayer-funded pacifiers. And with this bill, they just told the anti-gun lobby to go peddle their nonsense somewhere else.
Good on you, Texas. You’ve shown once again that common sense is alive and well — at least west of the Sabine.
