{"id":258731,"date":"2026-10-15T13:11:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T18:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=258731"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:11:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T18:11:20","slug":"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\/","title":{"rendered":"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">4<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, this is a long way from the gun bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brandon Herrera, better known to millions online as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theakguy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\">The AK Guy<\/a>,\u201d traded YouTube for the congressional debate stage Tuesday night. The firearms manufacturer and Second Amendment advocate faced Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in the race for Texas\u2019 23rd Congressional District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kfoxtv.com\/news\/local\/live-congressional-debate-brandon-herrera-vs-katy-padilla-stout-san-antonio-texas-el-paso-gun-rights-control-yami-virgin-robert-holguin-congressman-tony-gonzales?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\">Fox San Antonio and KFOX14 hosted the hourlong debate<\/a>. The sprawling district stretches from western San Antonio toward El Paso and includes 27 counties along the southern border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a serious political debate, but it was also a pretty remarkable moment for the grassroots Second Amendment community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herrera did not come up through the traditional political system. He built firearms, made videos and developed a massive online audience. He then turned that audience into volunteers, small-dollar donations and an actual congressional campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, he is the Republican nominee for a seat in the United States House.  That is quite the jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-guns-take-center-stage\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\" data-level=\"2\">Guns Take Center Stage<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-things-got-personal\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\" data-level=\"2\">Things Got Personal<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-where-else-they-stand\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\" data-level=\"2\">Where Else They Stand<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-grassroots-2a-movement-grows-up\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\" data-level=\"2\">The Grassroots 2A Movement Grows Up<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE: Brandon Herrera vs. Katy Padilla Stout\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VBV0HsEk3OI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-guns-take-center-stage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Guns Take Center Stage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The sharpest policy divide came during a discussion about school security and the 2022 attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herrera argued that schools need armed security. He floated hiring qualified veterans to protect students and said law enforcement agencies need better training and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs a country, we\u2019ve decided that our politicians get armed security, banks get armed security, but our children do not,\u201d Herrera said during the debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SEE ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/sig-p385-questions-part-ii\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\">SIG P385 Questions Part II: SIG Answers Your Questions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Padilla Stout rejected that approach as insufficient. She pointed to the failed police response in Uvalde and called for more mental health funding. She also supported raising the minimum age for purchasing what she called \u201cassault weapons\u201d to 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her campaign platform goes further. It supports universal background checks, red flag laws and a ban on bump stocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herrera\u2019s position sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. His campaign supports national concealed carry reciprocity and opposes red flag laws and new federal firearm restrictions. He has also called for repealing the National Firearms Act (<a href=\"https:\/\/brandonherreraforcongress.com\/issues\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\">Brandon Herrera for Congress<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-things-got-personal\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Got Personal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Padilla Stout repeatedly attacked Herrera\u2019s past online content and questioned whether his GunTuber persona made him fit for Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At one point, she accused him of visiting Robb Elementary and firing at child-shaped targets. Herrera called the claim false and demanded an apology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Padilla Stout then corrected herself. She acknowledged that the video was filmed at a range elsewhere in Uvalde County, not at the school. Herrera has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.expressnews.com\/politics\/article\/texas-23rd-congressional-district-debate-22477626.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\">said<\/a> the child cutouts were \u201cno-shoot\u201d targets that participants were supposed to avoid hitting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herrera tried to keep returning the discussion to policy. He focused on affordability, border security, veterans\u2019 health care, rural hospitals and government surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-where-else-they-stand\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Else They Stand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herrera favors lower taxes, stronger border enforcement and expanded community health care for veterans. He opposes a physical border barrier through Big Bend and wants local communities involved in regulating water-hungry data centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Padilla Stout supports universal pre-K, expanding Medicare, strengthening the Affordable Care Act and establishing federal standards for data centers. She favors a functioning and regulated border but rejects Herrera\u2019s description of it as \u201cclosed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both candidates oppose a physical wall through Big Bend. Both promised not to trade individual stocks while serving in Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Independent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tpr.org\/government-politics\/2026-10-14\/herrera-and-padilla-stout-clash-over-guns-border-security-and-character-in-heated-texas-23rd-cd-debate\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\">candidate<\/a> Ben Mendoza is also on the November ballot. Election Day is Nov. 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"h-the-grassroots-2a-movement-grows-up\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Grassroots 2A Movement Grows Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever voters think of Herrera, his appearance on that stage illustrates the growing reach of the online gun community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gun channels once existed mainly to discuss products, training and firearm policy. They now produce major advocacy campaigns, lawsuits, fundraising networks and, apparently, congressional candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Herrera went from building AKs on YouTube to debating taxes, rural hospitals and border policy on live television. That does not guarantee he will win. It does show that the grassroots 2A movement has developed political power far beyond the gun counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Watch the debate and let us know what you think. Did Herrera look ready for Congress, or did Padilla Stout make the stronger case? And could more GunTubers make the jump into elected office?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"brandon-herrera-debate-katy-padilla-stout-texas\" title=\"WATCH: \u2018The AK Guy\u2019 Brandon Herrera Debates Democratic Opponent in Texas House Race\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Well, this is a long way from the gun bench.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":258734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"manual","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,607,122],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":["post-258731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-buzz","tag-news","tag-r2kba"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.6 (Yoast SEO v28.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Brandon Herrera Debates Katy Padilla Stout in Texas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Watch \u201cThe AK Guy\u201d Brandon Herrera debate Democrat Katy Padilla Stout over gun rights, school security, the border and health care.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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As an editor for GunsAmerica, he\u2019s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he's deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there's a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry\u2019s got an opinion\u2014and it's probably backed up with both facts and field experience. Experience: \u2013 Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper \u2013 Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.\u2013 Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS &amp; AZ) \u2013 Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.\u2013 2A Journalist \u2013 Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.\u2013 Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) \u2013 Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.\u2013 Field-Tested Gear Reviewer \u2013 Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hunt365.gunsamerica.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gunsamerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/gunsamerica_official\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/GunsAmerica\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/GunsAmerica\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/larry-z\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. 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