A Texas Senator has recently introduced a companion resolution to one previously filed (HCR1) that would have made the Bowie Knife the official State knife of Texas. Despite the previously introduced resolution passing with bipartisan support in 2019, Governor Greg Abbott vetoed the resolution because of a glaring historical error contained within.

A Texas Senator is Attempting to make the Bowie the Official State Knife

At the time, Gov. Abbott said, “This is the kind of resolution that a Texas Governor would sign without thinking,” Abbott said in his official veto statement. “So, as a thinking Governor, I think it best not to sign a factually incorrect resolution and instead to allow the Legislature to consider this next session.”

Abbott’s statement continued, “Fortunately, with a little thinking and study, it was learned that a statement contained in the resolution is factually incorrect: it identifies the location of Jim Bowie’s ‘Sandbar Fight’ as ‘near Natchez, Louisiana,’ when in fact the fight occurred near Natchez, Mississippi.

Despite being vetoed, the resolution is expected to once again move forward with bipartisan support much like the first time. Governor Abbott was presented with his own Bowie knife back in 2017 after he signed a bill that made it legal to openly carry a Bowie knife in Texas. The knife given to Governor Abbott was forged by Texas knifemaker Jason Fry who is a sixth-generation Texan and runs Fry Custom Knives.

If you are a Texan interested in supporting this resolution and its passing then you can keep track of the situation via Knife Rights which is a non-profit organization that works to further the knife rights of Americans across the country. Knife Rights has a comprehensive listing of various state laws and works closely with US Law Shield in defending those who are involved in Legal issues surrounding self-defense scenarios.