AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Families of victims and survivors of the Uvalde and Santa Fe school shootings traveled to the Texas Capitol again Tuesday, calling for changes to the state’s gun laws.
“They promised us Uvalde would not happen. They said they had fixed the problems. And when Uvalde happened, it broke us,” said Scot Rice, husband of one of a Sante Fe survivor.
A group of Democratic state senators, including one who represents Uvalde, are introduced what they call a “historic” package of bills that would modify how Texans can purchase and store firearms.
Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, is spearheading the bills, as part of his broader rollout of legislation that is directly in response to the Robb Elementary School shooting, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.
The rollout of these bills come a day after a mass shooting at Michigan State University and on the five-year anniversary of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting, which claimed 17 lives.
In teary-eyed remarks, the sister of one of the two Uvalde teachers killed, Irma Garcia, plead to lawmakers to find common ground to make it more difficult to purchase firearms.
“How much death can America withhold before it passes common sense gun laws?” Velma Lisa Duran said.
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“Not any of these things seek to take anyone’s guns away,” Gutierrez said. “We have to do the minimum here. It is important that the Republicans in this building understand that we have to do something to make it harder for this to happen.”
—Senate Bill 912 would expand safe storage requirements for firearms, requiring all firearms be properly secured, not just those deemed to be accessible to children.
—Senate Bill 914 would require identification to purchase ammunition and make it a Class A misdemeanor to knowingly sell ammunition to minors.
—Senate Bill 911 would create a statewide ammunition database, requiring sellers to report sales of ammunition that exceed 200 rounds in the database, with details about the purchase itself. It would also requires anyone seeking to buy 200 rounds or more of ammunition to undergo a background check prior to the completion of the sale.
—Senate Bill 913 would require firearm owners to maintain liability insurance for property damage, bodily injury, or death that occurs with their firearm, with exceptions for military members and peace officers while on duty.