https://sputnikglobe.com/20220531/texas-lawmakers-urge-abbott-to-hold-special-session-on-gun-control-after-uvalde-shooting-1095904690.html
Texas Lawmakers Urge Abbott to Hold Special Session on Gun Control After Uvalde Shooting
Texas Lawmakers Urge Abbott to Hold Special Session on Gun Control After Uvalde Shooting
Sputnik International
Nationwide, Texas has documented the most deaths prompted by mass shootings, with more than 200 people having been killed in the Lone Star State since 2009... 31.05.2022, Sputnik International
2022-05-31T19:51+0000
2022-05-31T19:51+0000
2022-05-31T19:50+0000
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State lawmakers, including some Republicans, are asking Texas Governor Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session so that they can debate what actions the state will take to address the mass shooting violence that has been plaguing Texas for years.Texas lawmakers are under increased pressure to stem the violence caused by mass shootings after an elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, ended with 19 children and two teachers dead. Texas has had the most mass shootings and the most school shootings in the United States over the past two decades.With funerals for the Uvalde victims beginning on Tuesday, Democratic state lawmakers have demanded Abbott call a special session so gun control measures can be discussed. Abbott, who received an “A+” rating from the pro-gun lobby US National Rifle Association, has continued to resist calls for gun control in the wake of the shooting.State Democrats are pushing for background checks on gun purchases, increasing the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, regulating high capacity magazines, establishing “red flag” legislation that would allow law enforcement to temporarily seize guns from those deemed an imminent threat, and a cooling off period when buying a gun.Salvador Ramos, the local 18-year-old gunman who died in a shootout with police after murdering 19 children and two teachers, legally bought an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, along with the 660 bullets he carried with him, just days after his 18th birthday.Abbott signed a law in 2021 that allows Texans to purchase and carry guns, including rifles like the one used by Ramos, without a permit. The governor has continued to defend his decision to loosen gun laws in the aftermath of the shooting, saying that the blame falls on a lack of mental health care in the state.However, earlier this year, Abbott moved nearly $211 million away from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and gave it to Operation Lone Star, a controversial program that utilizes the National Guard to patrol the border between Texas and Mexico. A spokesperson for Abbott has denied that the transfer of funds hurt the HHSC’s ability to provide mental health services.Texas ranks last in mental health availability, due in large part to its high numbers of residents who lack access to health care in general.Democratic state senator Roland Gutierrez, who counts Uvalde as part of his district, has been calling for action and a special legislative session from Governor Abbott.Gutierrez is not the only state lawmaker asking Abbott to call them back before their next scheduled session in January 2023. Republican state senators Kel Seliger and Jeff Leach have both called for a special legislative session, though they did not indicate what, if any, gun control legislation they will support.Despite calls to action, Abbott has continued to push his mental health narrative when it comes to mass shootings in Texas. “We as a state, we as a society need to do a better job with mental health. Anybody who shoots somebody else has a mental health challenge. Period. We as a government need to find a way to target that mental health challenge and to do something about it,” Abbott said the day after the shooting.Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) has also pushed back against gun control, saying that armed guards on campus is the solution, rather than limiting gun ownership. “We know from past experience that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus,” the senator told MSNBC.The Uvalde school district security measures include employing four police officers, a police chief and an additional armed security guard. It is unclear if any of them were on campus at the time of the shooting. It was initially reported that a Uvalde school officer was the first to engage with Ramos, but that has since been disputed by authorities. There are currently 256 school marshals (officers) active across Texas.
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texas, texas governor greg abbott, gun control, uvalde, mass shootings
texas, texas governor greg abbott, gun control, uvalde, mass shootings
Texas Lawmakers Urge Abbott to Hold Special Session on Gun Control After Uvalde Shooting
Nationwide, Texas has documented the most deaths prompted by mass shootings, with more than 200 people having been killed in the Lone Star State since 2009. Texas, however, also has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country.
State lawmakers, including some Republicans, are asking Texas Governor Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session so that they can debate what actions the state will take to address the mass shooting violence that has been plaguing Texas for years.
Texas lawmakers are under increased pressure to stem the violence caused by mass shootings after an elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, ended with 19 children and two teachers dead.
Texas has had the most mass shootings and the most school shootings in the United States over the past two decades.With funerals for the Uvalde victims beginning on Tuesday, Democratic state lawmakers
have demanded Abbott call a special session so gun control measures can be discussed. Abbott, who received an “A+” rating from the pro-gun lobby US National Rifle Association, has continued to resist calls for gun control in the wake of the shooting.
State Democrats are pushing for background checks on gun purchases, increasing the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, regulating high capacity magazines, establishing “red flag” legislation that would allow law enforcement to temporarily seize guns from those deemed an imminent threat, and a cooling off period when buying a gun.
Salvador Ramos, the local 18-year-old gunman who died in a shootout with police after murdering 19 children and two teachers, legally bought an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, along with the 660 bullets he carried with him, just days after his 18th birthday.
Abbott signed a law in 2021 that allows Texans to purchase and carry guns, including rifles like the one used by Ramos, without a permit. The governor has continued to defend his decision to loosen gun laws in the aftermath of the shooting, saying that the blame falls on a lack of mental health care in the state.
However, earlier this year, Abbott moved nearly $211 million away from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and gave it to Operation Lone Star, a controversial program that utilizes the National Guard to patrol the border between Texas and Mexico. A spokesperson for Abbott has denied that the transfer of funds hurt the HHSC’s ability to provide mental health services. Texas ranks last in mental health availability, due in large part to its high numbers of residents who
lack access to health care in general.
Democratic state senator Roland Gutierrez, who counts Uvalde as part of his district, has been calling for action and a special legislative session from Governor Abbott.
“We have to do something, man. Your own colleagues are telling me, calling me, and telling me an 18-year-old shouldn’t have a gun,” Gutierrez said to Abbott at a press conference. “We have asked for gun control changes. I’m asking you now to bring us back [for a special legislative session] in three weeks.”
Gutierrez is not the only state lawmaker asking Abbott to call them back before their next scheduled session in January 2023. Republican state senators Kel Seliger and Jeff Leach have both called for a special legislative session, though they did not indicate what, if any, gun control legislation they will support.
Despite calls to action, Abbott has continued to push his mental health narrative when it comes to mass shootings in Texas. “We as a state, we as a society need to do a better job with mental health. Anybody who shoots somebody else has a mental health challenge. Period. We as a government need to find a way to target that mental health challenge and to do something about it,” Abbott said the day after the shooting.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) has also pushed back against gun control, saying that armed guards on campus is the solution, rather than limiting gun ownership. “We know from past experience that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus,” the senator told MSNBC.
The Uvalde school district security measures include employing four police officers, a police chief and an additional armed security guard. It is unclear if any of them were on campus at the time of the shooting. It was initially reported that a Uvalde school officer was the first to engage with Ramos, but that has since been disputed by authorities. There are currently 256 school marshals (officers) active across Texas. 
