A new poll finds that sizable majorities of Texas voters — including Republicans — support raising the minimum age to buy all guns from 18 to 21 as a state House committee faces pressure to advance a similar proposal.
Released Wednesday, the survey from the University of Texas at Austin found 76% of voters support “raising the legal age to purchase any firearm from 18 years of age to 21 years of age.” Twenty percent of voters oppose the idea. Republicans back the proposal 64% to 31%.
The finding comes as families of victims of the Uvalde school shooting press the House Select Committee on Community Safety to approve a bill that would increase the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21. The committee held a hearing on the legislation about two weeks ago but has not taken a vote to send it to the full House yet. The deadline to do so is Monday.