Transparent backpacks. Millions of dollars for school security and mental health services. An audit of law enforcement tactics.
After the Uvalde, Texas, attack, our state leaders are seemingly trying everything they can to prevent the next school shooting. But so far, they refuse to deal with the root source of the tragedy: the easy availability of guns.
A newly released report by a Texas House committee tells a story of cowardice — and not only on the part of law enforcement. The report didn't delve into Texas gun laws, but it revealed that the troubled teen who attacked Robb Elementary bought firearms with minimal effort. Decades of political inaction made that possible.
The gunman began amassing firearm accessories when he was still 17. As soon as he turned 18 in May, he legally bought two AR-15-style rifles, despite displaying violent tendencies for years. He had no criminal history, but he had expressed suicidal thoughts to family members and made violent threats against other social media users.
The bipartisan federal gun legislation passed in the wake of the Uvalde murders was a good first step, but it didn't go far enough. We can do more to prevent gun violence while still respecting Americans' Second Amendment rights.
The legislation required more thorough background checks of gun purchasers under 21. It also closed the "boyfriend loophole," thereby keeping guns out of the hands of abusive dating partners who are not spouses or live-in boyfriends.
And it provided funding to help enforce red-flag laws, which allow law enforcement to confiscate weapons from individuals deemed by a court to be a threat to themselves or others.
After decades of federal inertia on guns, this bill was a breakthrough.
