Chris McNutt Vindicated, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Will Not Seek Re-Election

The man responsible for killing Texas’ Constitutional Carry bill in 2019, — Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen —announced on Tuesday, October 23, 2019 that he will not be running for election in 2020.

As Texas Gun Rights reported in an email update, Bonnen is “laying the Speaker’s gavel down in disgrace and slamming the door shut on a 22-year career in the Austin swamp.”

Bonnen was caught in the middle of a backroom deal where he promised to give media credentials to Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan and his staff in exchange for attacking several House Republicans.

News of this encounter caused tremendous chatter at the state capitol and the recording was eventually made public.

The fallout was tremendous and Bonnen could no longer take the heat.

However, Texas Gun Rights reminded its members in an email that Bonnen’s refusal to run for re-election “all started because the Republican Speaker picked a fight with TXGR and the Second Amendment.”

When Bonnen decided to go after Texas Gun Rights Executive Director Chris McNutt for peacefully canvassing in his neighborhood, it became clear that he was in for a fight.

Texas Gun Rights responded accordingly by turning up the pressure on Bonnen through its email and social media campaigns.

Bonnen tried to sully McNutt’s reputation in the media, but the no compromise lobby did not let up in attacking him.

The House Speaker even threw a public fit when he confronted McNutt in person at a Texas Republican meeting.

Texas Gun Rights then filed a lawsuit to defend McNutt’s image from Bonnen’s vicious attacks.

Conservatives throughout Texas started to take notice of Bonnen’s actions and demanded some degree of accountability.

After all, the 2019 legislative session was seen as a disappointment by conservatives across the state for not addressing key issues such as abortion, gun rights, or property taxes.

The meeting that Quinn Sullivan scheduled with Bonnen proved to be fateful as he caught Bonnen and his lieutenant Dustin Burrows via recording trying to buy off his group.

By releasing the recording of this incident, the Empower Texans CEO was able to seal Bonnen’s fate by exposing him as another wheeling and dealing politician. GOP leaders across the state called for Bonnen to step down from his position.

For gun owners across the state, Bonnen being out of the picture will make it easier to move pro-gun legislation like Constitutional Carry.