85R546 JGH-D
 
  By: Huffines S.C.R. No. 8
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         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; since
  1954, Smokey the Cannon has been discharged at every University of
  Texas home football game in Austin--at the kickoff and the end of
  each quarter, after the crowd sings "The Eyes of Texas," and each
  time the team scores; during the off-season, the cannon and its crew
  tour the country, representing the Longhorns at charity and
  volunteer events; other 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.