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Chris McNutt

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Chris McNutt
McNutt in 2021
Born1986 (age 37–38)
EducationBachelor's degree
Alma materUniversity of North Texas at Dallas
OccupationPresident for Texas Gun Rights
Known forGun rights activism
TitlePresident
Political partyRepublican
Websitemcnuttfortexas.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]

Political career

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2018

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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]

References

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  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.
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