James Talarico’s Gun-Control Past Resurfaces in Texas Senate Race

The Texas Democrat calls himself a Second Amendment supporter, but his former aide’s activism—and the gun-control bills he filed—tell a different story.

James Talarico is the Democrats’ candidate to replace Texas Senator John Cornyn. During his four terms as a representative in the Texas House, 2A issues have never been a particular issue for Talarico, so his choice of a new legislative aide is either a bold move, staking a new claim on the issue, or a real head-scratcher.

Ana Lucia Lopez is a dedicated, dyed-in-the-wool gun control zealot.

When she was a student at the University of Texas at Austin, she inherited the leadership of “C*cks Not Glocks,” a student group that protested Senate Bill 11, the campus carry bill signed into law in June 2015.

The new law allowed students with Texas concealed handgun licenses to carry their guns on community college and state university campuses. There were numerous restrictions but there was still an outcry from faculty and students.

C*cks Not Glocks grew out of a social media post by Jessica Jin, another UT student. According to the Houston Chronicle, Jin said she wanted to “put a dildo in the hands of every pissed off college student who hasn’t been heard in this safety conversation.” She also said, “Strap it on, feel the discomfort, feel the weird looks. Wear it loud, wear it proud, and don’t take them off until people take their guns home.”

Supported by donations, the group claimed it distributed about 4,500 of Jin’s preferred sex toy to protestors.

The law went into effect on August 1, 2016. A rally was staged about three weeks later on August 24, 2016. It was highlighted by students wearing T-shirts featuring slogans and male genitalia.

The year after the UT rally, a sister group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison held its own rally. Forbes called it one of the seven most ridiculous college protests of 2017.

Jin graduated and moved to California. Lopez took the reins and carried on, organizing Students Against Campus Carry.

From ‘C*cks Not Glocks’ to the Texas Capitol

When Talarico was a freshman representative in the 86th Texas Legislature, Lopez drafted or helped draft three bills. House Bill 3506 would have added restrictions to reciprocity; House Bill 3507 would have required dealers and shooting range operators to run a NICS background check on people renting a firearm for use at the range; and House Bill 3508 would have changed Texas from a shall-issue state to a may-issue state.

All three bills were filed on March 6, 2019. They were read for the first time and referred to the Homeland Security and Public Safety on March 18 and died when the 86th Legislature adjourned sine die in May.

They didn’t attract any sponsors or co-sponsors; there were no public hearings; and none appeared on the committee calendar.

Three Gun-Control Bills–All Dead on Arrival

About a month later, Lopez, who was in a four-year, liberal arts, undergraduate honors program, submitted her senior’s thesis. Entitled “Oh, Shoot: A Sociological Analysis of Gun Culture in the Age of Campus Carry,” it was exactly what one would expect from a dyed-in-the-wool gun control zealot. Talking points faithfully parroted with little discernible analysis.*

She proudly mentioned her authorship of the bills. Since the paper was submitted a month before the 86th legislative session ended, she was spared the need to share their fates.

Lopez also touched on House Bill 357, former Rep. Jonathan Stickland’s constitutional carry bill, which did have a number of sponsors. It was torpedoed by the Republican Speaker of the House and a Democrat committee chairman later arrested for cocaine possession. Texans had to wait two more years for permitless handgun carry.**

Texas Chose Constitutional Carry Instead

I didn’t do an exhaustive search of the legislative filings during Talarico’s three subsequent legislative sessions but I found only one other 2A-related bill authored by Talarico. That was House Bill 5025, a prohibition on carrying in a library he filed in the most recent session. Like his three previous bills, it attracted no co-sponsors and died in committee.

He was a co-sponsor on five other bills but, considering how many gun control bills were filed in the 87th, 88th, and 89th sessions, his involvement took a back seat to his other priorities.

In her new role, Lopez will again be drafting legislation. As an ardent gun-grabber, there’s no reason to believe she will be affected by the changes in the landscape, including multiple significant setbacks in the courts or the fact Texas and 12 other states adopted constitutional carry since she drafted those three bills in 2019.

And campus carry is still legal in Texas.

Talarico’s Anti-Gun Legislative Record

Legislative aides typically aren’t fodder for the media and opposition. The C*cks Not Glocks episode has largely been forgotten by the public. So it’s hard to understand Talarico’s choice of Ana Lopez.

The media reports of Talarico’s selection have made Lopez’s past sensational. The mixture of immaturity, obscenity, and sex toys is red meat for opponents and perhaps a bit embarrassing for supporters. Especially when reminded the movement failed to change anything.

James Talarico is already vulnerable on 2A issues; he doesn’t have a track record, and I am not sure he even understands why John Cornyn lost in the primaries.

However, he has provided a rallying point for Republicans in a mid-term election.

*Lopez’s paper did include a reference to a 2016 Ammoland article by Dr. Marshall St. John, “Fifteen Reasons You Should Own A Gun.”

**[Full disclosure: I was involved in the effort to advance House Bill 357.]

About Bill Cawthon

Bill Cawthon first became a gun owner 55 years ago. He has been an active advocate for Americans’ civil liberties for more than a decade. He is the information director for the Second Amendment Society of Texas.