Texas House District 83 includes all or part of five West Texas Counties

House district 83 includes all or part of five West Texas Counties, including Cochran, Gaines, Hockley, part of Lubbock, and Yoakum Counties.  Republican State Rep. Delwin Jones was elected to represent HD 83 in 1964, served until 1972, reelected in 1989 to present. 

The 400,000 concealed handgun licensees of Texas do not have State Representative Delwin Jones to thank.  

In 1995, SB 60, carried by then-Senator Jerry Patterson and State Rep. Bill Carter, finally passed and was signed by Governor George W. Bush.   Rep. Delwin Jones (R-Lubbock) was the only Republican state representative to vote against the bill.   Not only did he vote NO on the passage of this important TSRA-backed legislation; he voted in support of every gutting amendment offered by a handful of liberal anti-gun Democrats.

Every election cycle Rep. Jones has been sent a candidate questionnaire by TSRA, specific to 2nd Amendment issues.  Over the past 15 years the survey was returned only once and his answers to 2nd Amendment-specific questions did nothing to raise his published score.  He never seemed to notice.

Last fall, Rep. Jones called Alice Tripp, TSRA's Legislative Director.  Rep. Jones asked for TSRA's endorsement in the coming 2010 elections.  When reminded of his vote in 1995 against concealed carry legislation, Rep. Jones answered, "And I voted against your campus bill too."   There was no floor-vote on the campus bill as it never made the House floor and died behind Voter ID.

Reminded of this Rep. Jones said, "Well I was going to vote against it" and then followed by saying "Guess I'm not likely to be endorsed, huh?" 

So, what do Texas gun owners think of Rep. Delwin Jones, the Republican from Lubbock, HD 83?