Texas Lawmakers Advance Gun Control Bill Amid Wave Of Mass Shootings

Topline

With mounting pressure from families of victims from last year’s Uvalde school shooting and just two days after a mass shooting that killed eight near Dallas, a bill to raise the minimum purchase age of a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21 passed a Texas House committee in a surprise vote Monday.

Family members of the victims of the Uvalde shootings react after a Texas House committee voted to … [+] take up a bill to limit the age for purchasing AR-15 style weapons in the full House in Austin, Texas, Monday, May 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Key Facts

Amid a surge in violence in Texas in recent months, the Republican-led committee voted to advance the bill to the state House, in an 8-5 vote, with two Republicans crossing party lines to support the bill.

The passing of the bill–even though it’s unlikely to become law in the GOP-dominated legislature–indicates a surprising move toward tightening gun laws in Texas, a state that has loosened gun restrictions, like allowing permitless carry, and fallen victim to mass shootings.

Democratic Rep. Tracy King, who represents constituents in Uvalde–where 21 people were killed in a mass shooting almost a year ago–introduced the bill in the Community Safety Committee and originally thought it “was dead on arrival;” he teared up after the vote in favor of advancing it, Houston Public Media reported.

The bill would prevent people under 21 from buying semi-automatic rifles that can have a detachable magazine and have a caliber greater than .22, though police and members of the military would be excluded.

The vote to advance was previously unscheduled, but protesters came to the Capitol Monday morning chanting “raise the age” and Democratic state senators had a press conference where they called for a vote, The Dallas Morning News reported.

The surprise vote came on a deadline, too, as Monday is the last day House bills at this level could be voted out of committee, according to multiple Texas news outlets.

Big Number

50. That’s how many mass shootings occurred in Texas in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Key Background

Relatives of the victims of Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde last year had advocated for the bill to be passed throughout the session, often saying if the age had been raised a year ago the shooting that took their children wouldn’t have happened. Before Monday, the bill was presumed dead after an overnight hearing in which members of the committee debated it back in April. The vote came two days after a mass shooting in Allen, Texas, in which eight people were killed at a shopping mall. While the proposed law wouldn’t have prevented the suspected shooter in Saturday’s shooting from getting a gun as he was older than 21, the event has led to many calls for gun reform, including from President Joe Biden who said, “Republican Members of Congress cannot continue to meet this epidemic with a shrug … Once again I ask Congress to send me a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”

What To Watch For

The bill has to be voted on by the full Texas House by Thursday in order to keep progressing through the legislature, Houston Public Media reported.

Crucial Quote

“One year ago today, my daughter had her communion. About a month later, she was buried in that same dress,” said Javier Cazares, whose daughter was killed in the Uvalde shooting, at Monday’s press conference. “Mr. Guillen, and anybody else who is stopping this bill from passing, sad to say but more blood will be on your hands.”