AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has a plethora of state symbols, from the blue bonnet to the longhorn, and this legislative session, one lawmaker is looking to add the cannon to that list.
Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, authored a resolution to make the cannon the official state gun of Texas. On April 10, the resolution passed the Senate with a 28-2 vote.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 22 argues the importance of cannons in Texas’ fight for independence, and it has a point. A cannon was central to the Battle of Gonzales, the first battle of the Texas Revolution, when Texan rebels refused to give up their bronze cannon and told the Mexican military to “Come and take it!” That phrase and the cannon have been immortalized in a now-famous flag, which is a lasting symbol in Texas history.
The resolution also mentions when Austin innkeeper Angelina Eberly fired off a cannon on the corner of Sixth Street and Congress Avenue in reaction to Texas Republic President Sam Houston sending Texas Rangers to take the government’s archives as he tried to move the capital from Austin to Houston.
Texas already has an official state handgun — the 1847 Colt Walker pistol. Gov. Abbott approved a resolution to recognize the six-shooter back in 2021.
Whether the cannon gets cemented as a state symbol alongside the horned lizard or the monarch butterfly remains to be seen. There have been attempts in the past, including in 2017 when Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, filed a resolution with the same goal.