Bill Text: TX SCR8 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Engrossed
Bill Title: Designating the cannon as the official state gun of Texas.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-09 - Referred to Culture, Recreation & Tourism [SCR8 Detail]
Download: Texas-2017-SCR8-Engrossed.html
| By: Huffines, Kolkhorst | S.C.R. No. 8 | |
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| WHEREAS, Throughout the long and colorful history of Texas, | ||
| the cannon has been an important weapon in the state's fight for | ||
| liberty and independence as well as a symbol of the defiance and | ||
| determination of its people; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The very first conflict of the Texas Revolution, the | ||
| Battle of Gonzales, was fought over a cannon; on October 2, 1835, | ||
| the 150 Texian rebels at Gonzales refused to surrender their bronze | ||
| six-pounder to Mexican dragoons; they pointed instead to the cannon | ||
| and declared, "Come and take it!"; during the ensuing battle, this | ||
| memorable catchphrase and a painted image of the cannon itself were | ||
| raised on a makeshift flag that was created by the women of | ||
| Gonzales; the legendary flag has since become one of the iconic | ||
| images of the Lone Star State; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In 1836, the defenders of the Alamo boasted the | ||
| largest artillery contingent west of the Mississippi, an assortment | ||
| of 18 to 21 artillery pieces, and after the Mexican army captured | ||
| the fort, the cannons were destroyed or abandoned nearby; when the | ||
| Alamo was avenged six weeks later by the Texian victory at the | ||
| Battle of San Jacinto, the famous Twin Sisters, two six-pounders | ||
| that had been donated to the rebellion by the people of Cincinnati, | ||
| Ohio, played a decisive role in the defeat of Santa Anna's army; and | ||
| WHEREAS, A cannon featured in a memorable incident in the | ||
| early years of the Texas Republic; in 1842, Austin residents feared | ||
| that President Sam Houston wanted to move the republic's capital | ||
| from Austin to Houston, and when he sent Texas Rangers to take the | ||
| government's archives, an Austin innkeeper named Angelina Eberly | ||
| fired off a cannon on the corner of Sixth Street and Congress | ||
| Avenue, rousing the city's population and blowing a hole in the | ||
| General Land Office; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Today, vintage artillery pieces can be seen at | ||
| county courthouses, military installations, and historical sites | ||
| across Texas; two 24-pound howitzers made especially for the new | ||
| republic by Major General Thomas Jefferson Chambers in the 1830s | ||
| guard the south entrance of the Texas Capitol, while two 12-pound | ||
| field guns and a wrought iron cannon are also situated on the | ||
| Capitol grounds; a cannon reputed to be the "Come and Take It" gun | ||
| is on exhibit at the Gonzales Memorial Museum, a cannon used by | ||
| Colonel James Fannin at the Battle of Coleto Creek is displayed in a | ||
| park in Goliad, and a bronze cannon believed to have been used at | ||
| the Alamo is on permanent loan to the Shrine of Texas Liberty by the | ||
| San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The firing of a cannon continues to be an honored | ||
| tradition at celebrations and commemorations across Texas; cannons | ||
| help recreate Texas history, such as the fieldpiece fired for | ||
| visitors by the "Living History" reenactors at the Fort Davis | ||
| National Historical Site; and | ||
| WHEREAS, These historic weapons serve as powerful reminders | ||
| of our state's epic struggle for freedom, and they further | ||
| highlight the unique heritage shared by all those who are proud to | ||
| call Texas home; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 85th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby designate the cannon as the official state gun of Texas. | ||
