Chris McNutt

Last updated
Chris McNutt
Chris McNutt (51369015200) (cropped).jpg
McNutt in 2021
Born1986 (age 37–38)
Education Bachelor's degree
Alma mater University of North Texas at Dallas
OccupationPresident for Texas Gun Rights
Known for Gun rights activism
TitlePresident
Political party Republican
Website mcnuttfortexas.com

Chris McNutt (born 1986) is an American conservative activist and gun rights lobbyist who has advocated for "permitless carry" legislation, also known as "Constitutional Carry." [1] He is the president of Texas Gun Rights, a state affiliate of the National Association for Gun Rights. [2]

Contents

Political career

2018

During the 2018 primary elections, McNutt's group was accused of attacking then-candidate for Texas State Senate Angela Paxton, wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, shortly after an affiliate of its parent organization received a $150,000 donation from the campaign account of Senator Don Huffines. Huffines' twin brother, Phil Huffines, was Paxton's opponent. [3] Paxton defeated Huffines with 54.4% of the vote and went on to become the next state senator for Texas Senate, District 8. [4]

McNutt's activism also extended to the city of Richardson in 2018, where he and his wife created the "Vote NO 4 RISD TRE PAC" to oppose the Richardson Independent School District's tax ratification election. [5] [6] The 12.5% property tax increase passed with 53% of the vote with record turnout. [7]

McNutt appeared on the November 5, 2018, cover of Time magazine's "Guns in America" issue as the executive director for Texas Gun Rights. [8]

2019

During the 2019 legislative session, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dennis Bonnen accused McNutt of threatening behavior after McNutt, while leafleting Bonnen's neighborhood in support of permitless carry legislation, showed up at his home. [9] Bonnen says that McNutt's actions were the reason he declared McNutt's bill dead. [10]

Bonnen and McNutt had a confrontation at a subsequent Republican Party fundraiser dinner where the Speaker claimed he was "set up." [11] McNutt demanded an apology from Bonnen and also claimed that he had lied about their interactions during a press conference about the incidents. [12] [13] McNutt described his interaction as “nothing short of professional” during the press conference, when DPS bodycam footage was presented corroborating McNutt's telling of the incident. The officer involved stated in his written report of the incident, “McNutt did not make any threatening statements towards Representative Bonnen or his people.” [14]

Following the 2019 Texas legislative session, McNutt asked Governor Abbott to use his line-item veto to remove funding for a Department of Public Safety gun storage program. [15] According to a statement from Texas Gun Rights, "Speaker Dennis Bonnen slipped a $1 million spending spree for the promotion of 'safe gun storage' into the states budget bill." [16]

2020

In 2020, McNutt testified to the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee in favor of a bill to repeal the Alabama permit requirement for the concealed carrying of pistols. [17] The bill ultimately stalled after failing to gain traction in the Republican-controlled legislature. McNutt and his Texas Gun Rights faced off with the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) in the 2020 primary election when TXGR-backed candidate Bryan Slaton forced NRA-backed incumbent Dan Flynn into a runoff. [18] Slaton went on to defeat Flynn with over 61% of the vote. [19]

2021

In 2021, McNutt delivered over 118,000 petitions in support of "Constitutional Carry" to the Texas House of Representatives and testified in support of it during a hearing in the Texas House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee. [20] Texas GOP Chairman Lieutenant Colonel Allen West later partnered with McNutt and his organization to pressure Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate to pass Constitutional Carry House Bill 1927. [21] Abbott said he would sign the bill if it reached his desk. [22] After the bill passed through both chambers of the legislature, McNutt claimed the Governor removed him from the signing ceremony before signing it into law. [23]

2022

McNutt spoke out against U.S. Senator John Cornyn's support for red flag laws during the 2022 Republican Party of Texas state convention, where Cornyn referred to party delegates as a "mob" for opposing his support of the policy. [24] During the following legislative session, McNutt testified in support of Briscoe Cain's bill to prohibit red flag laws in the state of Texas.

2023

During the 2023 Texas legislative session, McNutt once again sparked controversy after joining with Kyle Rittenhouse to oppose a bill that would raise the age to purchase an assault rifle in the state of Texas, calling it "a perfect example of a knee jerk ‘just do something’ mentality." [25] After the session ended, McNutt joined Kyle's "Rittenhouse Foundation", a non-profit formed to combat gun control, as a member of the board of directors. [26] [27]

Later in October of 2023, Texas Gun Rights was granted a preliminary injunction in their lawsuit TGR v ATF, against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' ban on pistol stabilizing braces, protecting its members from enforcement of the ban. McNutt declared "The fight is not over, but this victory today is an incredible step forward." [28] Within days of that injunction, TGR secured a second preliminary injunction in NAGR v Garland, which dealt with a 2021 decision of the ATF to classify guns equipped with forced reset triggers as machine guns. McNutt proclaimed "Our injunction against the ATF's misguided attempt to redefine forced reset triggers as machine guns isn't just a battle win, it's the first in a series of victories we anticipate in the larger war to rein in - and ultimately abolish - an overzealous ATF." [29]

2024

During the summer of 2024, McNutt further solidified his relationship with Kyle Rittenhouse by hiring him as Outreach Director for Texas Gun Rights. [30] “Kyle’s unwavering dedication to the Second Amendment and his firsthand experience with the legal and cultural battles surrounding gun rights make him an invaluable addition to our team" McNutt stated. [31]

Texas Speaker Dennis Bonnen's resignation

The controversy between Chris McNutt and Dennis Bonnen was credited as the reason Empower Texans president Michael Quinn Sullivan secretly recorded a meeting with Bonnen, which was described by Texas Monthly as "the most significant political scandal in Texas politics in many years". [32] In the recording, Bonnen offered Empower Texans press credentials that would allow them on the floor of the Texas House during the 2021 legislative session. In exchange, Bonnen wanted Empower Texans to target certain Republican representatives in the next primary election for defeat while not criticizing certain other Republicans. [33] After Sullivan released a tape of the meeting, Bonnen announced he would not seek re-election. [34]

"I recorded the meeting not to capture the “locker room” talk or gossip that is typical of meetings in the Austin swamp, but to ensure Bonnen could not lie about the meeting or distort its purpose in the future. I had in mind the lies he told (publicly and without any consequence so far) about Chris McNutt of Texas Gun Rights, and I have heard stories of him doing the same to others, so I wasn’t going to let him do it to me" Michael Quinn Sullivan stated when he released the recording in October 2019. [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cornyn</span> American politician and attorney (born 1952)

John Cornyn III is an American politician, attorney, and former jurist serving as the senior United States senator from Texas, a seat he has held since 2002. A member of the Republican Party, he served on the Texas Supreme Court from 1991 to 1997 and as the attorney general of Texas from 1999 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Texas

The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful arm of the Texas government not only because of its power of the purse to control and direct the activities of state government and the strong constitutional connections between it and the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, but also due to Texas's plural executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Abbott</span> American attorney and politician (born 1957)

Gregory Wayne Abbott is an American politician, attorney, and jurist serving as the 48th governor of Texas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 50th attorney general of Texas from 2002 to 2015 and as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1996 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudley Brown</span> American gun rights lobbyist

Dudley W. Brown is an American gun rights lobbyist. He is the founder and president of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners and president of the National Association for Gun Rights.

In the United States, the term constitutional carry, also called permitless carry, unrestricted carry, or Vermont carry, refers to the legal public carrying of a handgun, either openly or concealed, without a license or permit. The phrase does not typically refer to the unrestricted carrying of a long gun, a knife, or other weapons. The scope and applicability of constitutional carry may vary by state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Hughes (politician)</span> Texas politician

Douglas Bryan Hughes is an American attorney and politician who is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate for District 1. He was first elected to the Texas Senate in November 2016. Previously, Hughes was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 through January 2017 as state representative for District 5, which includes Camp, Harrison, Upshur, and Wood counties in northeastern Texas. Senator Hughes authored some of the more significant legislation to come out of the 87th Session of the Texas Legislature. His bills on abortion, voting reform, and social media censorship prompted significant debate but were passed by both houses of the legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Association for Gun Rights</span> American gun group

The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) is a gun rights advocacy group in the United States. They maintain an affiliated PAC and a nonprofit legal foundation. Officially incorporated in Virginia on March 29, 2000, NAGR was founded by Dudley Brown as a national companion organization to Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. NAGR is a rival to the more moderate National Rifle Association of America (NRA) and considers itself to be a more "conservative alternative" to the NRA. The group spends most of its energy focused on lawmakers and moderates who are deemed too compromising on Second Amendment issues. This is achieved via direct mail, robocalls and low-cost television ads. The group has gained notoriety for its lobbying tactics and attack ads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Toth</span> Businessman and Texas state legislator

Steve Hixson Toth is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 15, The Woodlands area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Huffines</span> American politician

Donald Blaine Huffines is an American politician and businessman from the state of Texas. Huffines co-owns and operates Huffines Communities, a real estate development company in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. A conservative, Tea Party Republican, Huffines represented District 16 in the Texas Senate from 2015 to 2019. He lost his re-election campaign in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dade Phelan</span> American businessman and politician

Matthew McDade Phelan is an American real estate developer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he serves in Texas House of Representatives representing District 21, which includes most of Jefferson and all of Orange and Jasper counties in the southeast corner of the state. He has been Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since January 2021. He has been censured by the Texas Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Texas Senate election</span>

The 2018 Texas Senate elections took place as part of the biennial United States elections. Texas voters elected state senators in 15 of the state senate's 31 districts. The winners of this election served in the 86th Texas Legislature. State senators serve four-year terms in the Texas State Senate. A statewide map of Texas's state Senate districts can be obtained from the Texas Legislative Council here, and individual district maps can be obtained from the U.S. Census here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chip Roy</span> American politician (born 1972)

Charles Eugene "Chip" Roy is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 21st congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, Roy took office on January 3, 2019. Before his election to Congress, he served as chief of staff to Senator Ted Cruz and as first assistant attorney general of Texas. A member of and policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, Roy is considered a member of the far-right faction of the House Republican Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Sabatini</span> American politician (born 1988)

Anthony Frank Sabatini is an American attorney and former politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 32nd district from 2018 to 2022. He was a candidate in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida for Florida's 7th congressional district, losing the Republican primary to Cory Mills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Texas gubernatorial election</span>

The 2022 Texas gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Texas. Incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott won re-election to a third term, defeating Democratic nominee and former Congressman, Beto O'Rourke. All statewide elected offices are currently held by Republicans. In his previous gubernatorial race in 2018, Abbott won with 55.8% of the vote.

Jared Lynn Patterson is an American politician from Texas. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from the 106th district in November 2018, he assumed office on January 8, 2019. An analysis of votes in the 2023 regular session found that Patterson was the most right-wing of 85 Republican members of the Texas House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Rittenhouse</span> American known for the Kenosha unrest shooting (born 2003)

Kyle Howard Rittenhouse is an American man who gained national attention at age 17 for shooting three men in Kenosha, Wisconsin—two fatally—in August 2020, amid protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He had traveled to Kenosha during the unrest, and joined a group of armed people who said they were there to protect businesses. In a series of confrontations, Rittenhouse fatally shot two men who had tried to grab his gun, and injured another who had pointed a firearm at him. Rittenhouse was subsequently charged by Kenosha County prosecutors with multiple criminal counts, including homicide. Rittenhouse claimed self-defense at trial and was acquitted in November 2021. Two civil lawsuits against him are pending as of February 2023.

Dennis Higgins Bonnen is an American businessman and politician. Bonnen served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. A Republican, Bonnen represented District 25 of the Texas House from 1997 to 2021. In 2013, then-Speaker Joe Straus appointed Bonnen as Speaker Pro Tempore, presiding over the House in the Speaker's absence. In January 2019, Bonnen was elected Speaker. He did not seek re-election in 2020.

Cody Thane Vasut is an American politician. He has represented the 25th District in the Texas House of Representatives since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Vasut also works as an attorney.

Jeffrey Harold Cason is an American businessman and politician who served a single term in the Texas House of Representatives, from January 2021 to January 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected from District 92.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dustin Burrows</span> American politician

Dustin Ray Burrows is an attorney and businessman in Lubbock, Texas, who is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 83. He has represented the 83rd district since January 2015. Burrows is the former Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the former Chair of House Republican Caucus. He has sponsored legislation including the SB2 bill, enabling Texas taxpayers to control local tax rates and tax increases. He also serves as the Chairman of the House Calendars Committee, a position he has held since 2021.

References

  1. ↑ Mulcahy, Patrick Svitek and Shawn (2021-04-17). "After stalling for years, effort to allow permitless carrying of handguns sees major breakthrough in Texas House". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  2. ↑ "About Us". Texas Gun Rights. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "Don Huffines gave $150K to 'dark money' group, which then attacked his brother's GOP primary opponent, Angela Paxton". Dallas News. 3 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Paxton beats Huffines in bitter Republican primary race for Texas Senate District 8". Dallas News. 6 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "Who's behind the push for school tax increases in North Texas?". Dallas News. 27 October 2018.
  6. ↑ Russell, Ben (22 August 2018). "More North Texas School Districts Turn to TRE for Funds". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth.
  7. ↑ Lueckemeyer, Olivia (7 November 2018). "Updated: Property tax increase for Richardson ISD residents passes with 53.45% of the vote". Community Impact Newspaper.
  8. ↑ "Guns in America". Time .
  9. ↑ Daugherty, Owen (5 April 2019). "Texas House Speaker drops constitutional carry bill after gun rights activist shows up at his home". TheHill.
  10. ↑ Casiano, Louis (6 April 2019). "Texas House Speaker declares 'constitutional carry' gun bill dead after gun-rights activist shows up at his home". Fox News.
  11. ↑ "Showdown at the J.W. Marriott: What the Bonnen-McNutt Tussle Signals about the Political Wars to Come". Texas Monthly. 2019-04-12. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  12. ↑ Lindell, Chuck. "Gun rights activist demands apology from Bonnen". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  13. ↑ Samuels, Alex (2019-04-23). "Gun rights activist Chris McNutt says Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen lied about confrontation". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  14. ↑ Johnson, Brad (2019-04-23). "VIDEO: The Bonnen-McNutt Constitutional Carry Saga Isn't Over". The Texan. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  15. ↑ "Groups in gun debate make plea to Gov. Abbott on safe storage program". 5 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Some Texas gun rights groups oppose a state-funded gun storage safety campaign. But not the NRA". 6 June 2019.
  17. ↑ Cason, Mike (5 March 2020). "Committee approves bill to repeal Alabama pistol permit requirement". AL.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  18. ↑ "Rep. Dan Flynn Headed to Runoff Against Challenger Bryan Slaton After Pair's Third Matchup". The Texan. 2020-03-04. Archived from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  19. ↑ Haslett, Mark (15 July 2020). "Slaton Defeats Flynn In GOP Primary Runoff For HD2". www.ketr.org. Archived from the original on 2020-07-16. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  20. ↑ "Watch: TXGR testifies for Constitutional Carry! - Texas Gun Rights". txgunrights.org. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  21. ↑ Dillon, Michelle (27 April 2021). "Texas legislature considers permitless, Constitutional carry". Daily Progress Jacksonville, TX. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  22. ↑ Svitek, Patrick (2021-04-27). "Gov. Greg Abbott says he'll sign bill allowing permitless carrying of handguns, believes Senate is "making progress"". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  23. ↑ Young, Bethany (2021-06-18). "Forcing bad politicians to do good things". Texas Gun Rights. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  24. ↑ "Gun rights group demands apology from Sen. Cornyn over 'mob' comment". The Center Square. 2022-06-28. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  25. ↑ "Texas Republicans stall bill raising purchase age for AR-style rifles". Associated Press. 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  26. ↑ Downen, Robert (August 16, 2023). "Kyle Rittenhouse launches nonprofit with far-right Texans as he ramps up political engagement in the state". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  27. ↑ Skipworth, William (August 16, 2023). "Kyle Rittenhouse Launches Foundation Aimed At Fighting Gun Control". Forbes. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  28. ↑ Tietz, Kendall (2023-10-10). "Federal judge rules Biden administration's ban on pistol braces likely violates Second Amendment". Fox News. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  29. ↑ Pierson, Brendan (2023-10-09). "US judge limits enforcement of forced reset trigger ban". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  30. ↑ Kushwaha, Brooke (June 11, 2024). "Kyle Rittenhouse tapped to lead outreach for Texas gun advocacy organization". Chron.com.
  31. ↑ Morton, Victor (June 11, 2024). "Gun rights organization hires Kyle Rittenhouse as outreach director, citing 'firsthand experience'". The Washington Times .
  32. ↑ Hooks, Christopher (9 August 2019). "The Speaker and the Creeper: Everything You Need to Know About the Craziest Texas Political Scandal in Years". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  33. ↑ Hooks, Christopher (15 October 2019). "The Bonnen Tape Is Tawdry, Shocking, and Kinda Funny". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  34. ↑ Pollock, Cassandra (22 October 2019). "Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen won't seek reelection after recording scandal". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  35. ↑ "Hearing Bonnen's Deceit". Texas Scorecard. 2019-10-15. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.