Authored the law treating places of worship like other private property for licensed handgun carry: license holders may carry unless the place of worship posts a no-carry notice. It codified an Attorney General opinion and passed in 2019, the first regular session after the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting.
Issues & Priorities
Second Amendment Rights
From Sutherland Springs to the Senate floor — defending your right to bear arms.
On November 5, 2017, a gunman walked into First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs and opened fire, killing twenty-six people and wounding twenty-two more. Sutherland Springs sits in neighboring Wilson County, a short drive from Senate District 25. Dr. Donna Campbell knew victims. She knew the community. And she knew that it was a good guy with a gun — a neighbor named Stephen Willeford who grabbed his own rifle and engaged the shooter — who stopped the killing.
That tragedy crystallized what Dr. Campbell had always believed: the Second Amendment is not an academic debate for the people of the Texas Hill Country. It is the bedrock of personal safety, family security, and the liberty that makes a free society possible. In the 2019 session, she authored SB 535, the Church Carry bill, which codified an Attorney General opinion that licensed Texans may carry handguns in places of worship that have not posted a no-carry notice. She refused to let churches remain soft targets, and she carried the bill through both chambers into law.
Her record extends far beyond that single bill. She cosponsored Constitutional Carry, making Texas a permitless carry state. She joint-authored Campus Carry, which allows licensed handgun holders to carry concealed handguns on public university campuses. She voted for Licensed Open Carry. When San Antonio weighed a proposal to restrict gun and ammunition sales in parts of the city through zoning, she requested an Attorney General opinion, which concluded that state preemption law bars a city from zoning gun stores out of an area or singling out firearm and ammunition sales. With top ratings and legislative honors from the NRA, Dr. Campbell has proven session after session that the constitutional rights of Texans will never be traded away on her watch.
Proven Record
Cosponsored Texas's permitless carry law, allowing law-abiding Texans aged 21 and older to carry a handgun without a government-issued license, restoring the constitutional right to bear arms.
Authored the law barring state agencies and local governments from posting signs that exclude licensed handgun holders from government property where the law allows them to carry, enforced by the Attorney General with civil penalties.
Voted for the law allowing Texans licensed to carry a handgun to carry it openly in a holster, effective January 1, 2016.
View all 10 accomplishments
Authored the law barring hotels from adopting policies that prohibit guests from carrying or storing firearms and ammunition in their rooms or their vehicles on hotel property. Hotels may still require guests to carry concealed or in a case in common areas.
AG Opinion — San Antonio Gun Store Zoning
2019Requested an Attorney General opinion on a San Antonio proposal to restrict gun and ammunition sales in parts of the city through zoning. The opinion concluded that state preemption law prohibits a city from barring gun stores from an area or singling out firearm and ammunition sales.
Authored legislation reforming handgun proficiency course requirements for concealed carry licenses, streamlining the process for law-abiding Texans.
Authored the law allowing open-enrollment charter schools to employ security personnel and commission peace officers in the same manner as school districts, and to arrange school resource officers through agreements with local law enforcement.
Joint-authored the law requiring companies with at least 10 employees to verify they do not discriminate against the firearm or ammunition industries before receiving government contracts worth $100,000 or more, pushing back on financial institutions' policies restricting gun sales.
NRA Top Legislative Honors
2019Received top honors from the NRA for legislative achievement, recognizing her consistent and effective advocacy for Second Amendment rights across multiple sessions.
"Trying to disarm the good guy is not the way to go. Let us remember Sutherland Springs. Who took care of the problem initially? A good guy with a gun. The Second Amendment is the bedrock of every other liberty we hold dear."
Dr. Campbell's Promise
Why do we need to keep Texas Armed?
Because we don't have another Texas to move to.
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Border Security
Dr. Donna Campbell chaired Senate Veteran Affairs & Border Security, co-authored the Sanctuary Cities Ban, and carried Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month into law.
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Property Tax Relief
Dr. Donna Campbell co-authored 2023's SB 2, part of what Gov. Abbott called the largest property tax cut in Texas history, delivering savings for SD-25 homeowners.
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Veterans & Military
Dr. Donna Campbell chaired the Senate's veterans committee for four consecutive sessions and represents tens of thousands of veterans in TX SD-25. See her record on military mental health, tax relief, and JBSA.
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Keeping Texas Armed
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Stand with Dr. Campbell in defending your Second Amendment rights