For more than a year, families impacted by the Uvalde massacre and other gun safety advocates have frequently traveled to the Texas Capitol. They called on lawmakers to raise the age to purchase an assault-style rifle from 18 to 21. The gunman in Uvalde purchased two AR-15s as soon as he turned 18.
Republican representatives Justin Holland of Rockwall and Sam Harless of Spring sided with Democrats to advance the so-called raise-the-age bill out of committee. It was a brief moment of relief for the Uvalde families, but the bill didn’t go any further because there wasn’t enough Republican support.
“We’re glad that bill died,” said Wes Virdell, the Texas State director for Gun Owners of America (GOA). “Thankfully, a lot of GOA members and a lot of other activists across the state got engaged with the Legislature that day when those two Republicans had voted for that bill to get it out of committee. And thankfully, I think they got the message loud and clear that that is not something we're OK with.”
To view the full story, visit https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/politics/2023/06/08/gun-safety-bills-fail-in-texas-legislature