May 10, 2023 – State leaders block raise the age legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 10, 2023 Contact Information: Jesse Woche, Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator E-mail: jesse@txgunsense.org Website: www.txgunsense.org Texas Leaders Block Passage of HB 2744 Following Monday’s historic bipartisan 8-5 committee vote to advance legislation to raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, state leaders obstructed efforts to send the bill to […]
PTSD and Me
By guest author Dr. Angel Durr. “My heart aches with an indescribable pain that never fades. My 54-year-old mother was taken from me and my family in April 2021 by a senseless and preventable act of gun violence.” READ MORE
May 22, 2023 – The Legislative Session Is Ending Without Action To Prevent Gun Violence.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 22, 2023 Contact Information: Jesse Woche, Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator E-mail: jesse@txgunsense.org Website: www.txgunsense.org The Legislative Session Is Ending Without Action To Prevent Gun Violence. Join Texas Gun Sense, advocates, survivors, and elected officials for a press event on Tuesday highlighting the Legislature’s failure to act to prevent gun violence. What: Press Event on Gun […]
Texas Gun Sense Mourns Five Dead in Senseless Shooting
Texas Gun Sense Mourns Five Dead in Senseless Cleveland, TX Shooting THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE HAS NO EXCUSE FOR INACTION Last night, five people were murdered in an “execution-style” shooting in their Texas home. The youngest victim was 8 years old. The gunman was armed with an AR-15 style weapon. News stories indicate he was intoxicated. […]
Safe Storage of Firearms
Unsecured firearms in the home can result in suicides, homicides, and unintentional shootings. Thousands of unsecured firearms are stolen in Texas each year and used in crimes. Safe storage education and strong child access prevention laws are critical to protecting families and communities.
Protecting Our Schools
Texas experienced one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history in 2022 when a gunman murdered 19 children and two educators and injured 14 others at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Raise the Age of Purchase for Semi-Automatic Rifles
We know that creating stronger vetting requirements to purchase semi-automatic rifles like AR-15s is a necessary step for making Texas safer. We cannot ignore the fact that nearly every mass shooting is carried out with a semi-automatic rifle, and many are perpetrated by people under the age of 21.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO)
Texas should join other states that have adopted an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law, allowing civil court judges to temporarily remove firearms from individuals threatening to harm themselves or others. This constitutional process saves lives and helps people in crisis access support. This measure could have prevented the 2019 mass shooting in El Paso.
Prevent Domestic Abusers From Accessing Firearms
In 2021, more than seventy percent of domestic violence victims were killed by a firearm. Texas should ensure domestic abusers prohibited from possessing firearms by law do not have access to them. A comprehensive statewide protocol for the relinquishment of firearms would make our existing laws more effective and prevent domestic homicides.
Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Programs
The state should invest in community violence intervention by creating a statewide office of violence prevention and supporting local community violence intervention programs. These proven efforts target resources to individuals who are at the greatest risk of gunshot victimization — reducing gun violence and deaths.