According to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), HB 3053 is not expected to have any fiscal impact on the State of Texas. There are no anticipated expenditures, revenue changes, or administrative costs at the state level associated with enforcing or implementing the provisions of this bill.

For local governments, the bill is also not projected to create significant fiscal implications. The legislation merely prohibits municipalities and counties from organizing or participating in firearm buyback programs. Since these programs are generally optional and infrequent, and participation varies widely across jurisdictions, the ban does not impose new costs or require additional local expenditures. If anything, it may result in minor savings for jurisdictions that might otherwise fund such programs with local tax dollars or grants.

Overall, HB 3053 is considered fiscally neutral, with negligible direct costs or savings anticipated for either state or local governments. Its impact is primarily regulatory and policy-based rather than budgetary.

HB 3053 seeks to amend Chapter 280 of the Texas Local Government Code to explicitly prohibit municipalities and counties from adopting or enforcing any ordinance or program that organizes, sponsors, or participates in firearm buyback initiatives. These buyback programs are defined as those intended to remove firearms from circulation, reduce civilian firearm ownership, or allow individuals to surrender firearms without fear of prosecution. The bill does not create any new rulemaking authority and contains a simple statutory directive limiting local government activity in this area.

The bill aligns with all five core liberty principles—particularly individual liberty, limited government, and private property rights. By prohibiting local buyback efforts that can be perceived as subtly coercive or ideologically motivated, HB 3053 upholds the right of individuals to lawfully possess firearms and ensures that local governments do not spend taxpayer dollars on programs designed to reduce gun ownership. It prevents a patchwork of local ordinances that could undermine statewide protections for the right to keep and bear arms.

Furthermore, the bill has no anticipated fiscal impact on state or local governments, according to the Legislative Budget Board. It does not mandate new spending, enforcement, or oversight mechanisms. Instead, it merely prevents local entities from undertaking certain voluntary programs, which may even result in minor cost savings for jurisdictions that might otherwise consider buyback events.

In summary, HB 3053 offers a straightforward statutory safeguard to reinforce state-level protections of gun rights, limit government overreach at the municipal and county level, and preserve individual property rights. It carries no fiscal burden and reflects legislative intent to prevent localized efforts to curtail civilian firearm possession. As such, Texas Policy Research recommends that lawmakers vote YES on HB 3053.

• Individual Liberty: The bill protects individual liberty by preventing local governments from engaging in efforts that may indirectly discourage lawful firearm ownership. While buyback programs are often voluntary, they can reflect a government-endorsed judgment that civilian gun ownership is undesirable. By banning these programs at the municipal and county level, the bill ensures that individual Texans retain uninhibited access to lawfully own and keep firearms without local pressure or stigmatization.
• Personal Responsibility: The bill reinforces the idea that citizens are responsible for their own safety and the safe handling of firearms. Rather than framing gun ownership as a problem to be solved by government intervention, it treats it as a legitimate personal choice. This supports a view that Texans, not local officials, are best equipped to make decisions about firearm possession and use.
• Free Enterprise: The bill eliminates the potential for local governments to intervene in or distort the private firearms market. Government-funded buyback programs can inflate demand for used firearms or remove them from circulation in a way that artificially alters the market. By restricting public-sector participation, the bill reinforces a marketplace in which private firearm transactions are guided by voluntary exchange and market forces.
• Private Property Rights: Firearms are legally owned private property. Although buyback programs are voluntary, their very premise often encourages citizens to dispose of personal property, sometimes at below-market value, as a matter of public policy. Prohibiting these government-sponsored efforts affirms the principle that individuals should control their property without government prompting or moral framing.
• Limited Government: At its core, the bill is a limitation on local governmental authority. It ensures that municipalities and counties cannot use taxpayer dollars or regulatory authority to shape firearm ownership patterns. This is consistent with a broader constitutionalist view that government powers should be narrow, defined, and not used to influence personal decisions through indirect incentives or social engineering.