‘A Series Of Alleged Boating Accidents:’ Texas State Rep Trolls The Feds Over Firearm Restrictions

Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton had some “fun” with the federal government in February after introducing a House Committee Resolution that informed the federal government that all of the guns in many of Texas’s counties had been tragically lost in a series of alleged boating accidents.

HCR 54, “respectfully” notified the federal government that the boating accidents, which allegedly took place in Hunt, Hopkins, Van Zandt and “possibly other counties” in Texas, resulted in the loss of all firearms, accessories and ammunition owned by private gun owners, according to the resolution. The resolution further notified the Biden administration, and any further administration, that any attempt to “buyback, confiscate or register” the firearms, will not be possible or necessary.

“There’s different ways to respond to federal overreach. And, you know, natural emotion, people get upset, angry, but at some point, my thoughts is, if they’re going to be disrespectful, maybe we should have fun with them,” Slaton told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “In a day and time where people can claim to be anything they want and don’t need facts, well okay, fine. We had a series of alleged boating accidents.”

Slaton noted that “it would be incredibly insensitive during this time of mourning” for President Joe Biden to attempt to confiscate any firearms in Texas House District 2.

Slaton originally wrote the resolution two years ago, but decided to file it in February in response to the federal government’s “attitude toward things” and “disrespect” for the Bill of Rights, he told the DCNF. “I just have a problem with that. And so do a bunch of people in my district. And since this has made some headlines, apparently, there’s a lot of people around the country upset with the federal government and what they’re saying and doing towards the Second Amendment.”

The idea behind the alleged boating accident is not rooted in any specific event, but it is a common saying, according to Slaton. “It’s just a comment people have made over the years that I’ve heard and, and it’s just always stuck with me. So people were familiar with it and it wasn’t something totally out of the blue. I thought it would be a good way to push back.”

Some attribute the statement to a 2014 incident in California where the waterline of Castaic Lake receded 151 feet to reveal a gun and badge of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) agent, according to Pew Pew Tactical, a firearm-based news outlet. It is unknown if any disciplinary action was taken, but the ATF agent allegedly continued to work at the Bureau.

After it was made known that the agent lost his gun and continued to work at the agency, the meme of losing firearms in a boating accident was born, according to Pew Pew Tactical. Gun owners took issue with the lack of consequences, especially since the alleged event took place in California, one of the most restrictive states for gun ownership.

The next step in the process will be to see if the resolution is brought in front of the resolution committee, Slaton told the DCNF.

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