Texas lawmakers go behind the back of the NRA and approve a safe gun storage program.
What We Know:
- Gun safety laws have been a huge topic within politics in the last year. Mass shootings continue to take the lives of innocent individuals at high schools, places of worship, and college campuses. The public has been vocal about their opinion on gun violence and the belief that gun safety laws are a must.
- According to the Associated Press, Texas houses over 1.3 million handgun license holders. The call for this new gun storage policy is a result of a mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas. Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, brought a shotgun and a .38 revolver to school and killed ten people. It was reported that both of the weapons belonged to his father and he brought them from home.
- After the shooting at Santa Fe High School, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott created gun law proposals “to encourage the millions of law abiding, gun owning Texans to embrace their personal responsibility for gun safety.”
- The program itself would cost $1 million, but that is a small number compared to the $250 billion state budget. It is no surprise that when the NRA got wind of the policy, they immediately opposed it. But Gov. Abbott ultimately made the decision to approve the bill on Sunday evening after there was added funding to the budget bill.
- The executive director of Texas Gun Sense, Gyl Switzer, told the Associated Press, “I have full confidence that the governor will look hard at it and realize it’s all about saving lives. I hope there is no one discouraging him.”
- The NRA and the Texas State Rifle Association have worked around to the clock to oppose all ideas and laws in regards to gun reform. Normally the NRA is successful in these efforts, but the approval and creation of the safe gun storage campaign serves as a rare but impactful defeat.
Gun violence has yet to cease in America, but efforts similar to those of Texas lawmakers could make a difference. As this story is still developing, kudos to Gov. Abbott for taking that first step in the right direction.
