Following another deadly mass shooting in Texas over the weekend, this time in Odessa, state Rep. Matt Schaefer of Tyler has made it all-caps clear he opposes any restrictions to curb gun violence. “‘Do something!’ is the statement we keep hearing. As an...
Gun violence
back to archiveAbbott has a public safety problem on his hands
Gov. Greg Abbott recently sent out a fundraising letter calling his supporters to arms to “defend” against illegal immigration. The real threat is lone-wolf white gunmen. The Lone Star State made national headlines again Saturday with the mass shooting in...
17-month old shot in face in Odessa mass shooting
Anderson Davis, a 17-month old, was among those injured in Saturday’s mass shooting in Midland-Odessa. A GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of the Davis family, with a goal of $200,000. The page met its initial goal of $100,000. The organizer of the fundraiser,...
Texas’ pro-gun lobby digs in to oppose reasonable background checks
One gun rights group in Texas is getting nervous -- or at least it appears that way. During a roundtable discussion last week, Abbott raised the possibility, even if slim, of universal background checks and lamented the fact that firearms could be purchased by...
John Cornyn says idea of universal background checks makes him ‘crazy’
Sen. John Cornyn continues to oppose universal background checks, a measure supported by more than 90 percent of Texans. “Well this is what makes me crazy,” Cornyn said of background checks during an appearance on the Mark Davis Show on Thursday. “In the wake of...
Houston mayor pressures Abbott for more local authority to stop gun violence
On Wednesday, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner pushed Texas lawmakers to allow for more local authority on gun safety measures. “If I could do it today, I would do it today. But the state has preempted us,” Turner said of implementing background checks on private...
Angry moms, elected officials gather in Houston to demand action on gun violence
Wearing red “Moms Demand Action” t-shirts, one couple said they lost their 20-year-old son George Kemp Jr. to gun violence in 2013. When elected officials, Calandrian Kemp said in an interview, “sit at the dinner table and they see their children for holidays, or...
Cornyn’s ‘priority is the gun lobby, not Texans’
When it comes to guns, it’s hard to get Texans to rally behind any one idea. There is, however, one glaring exception. An overwhelming majority of Texans support universal background checks, or background checks for all firearm transactions in order to stop guns from...
What can local governments do about gun violence? Not much, says Texas law.
Texas law is clear about what counties can and can’t do when it comes to passing common sense gun reform. “There’s a statute that says [the county] can’t do anything to regulate firearms,” Special Assistant County Attorney Douglas Ray told The Signal. That...