Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Friday he expects new laws to be enacted in response to this week’s shooting that killed 21 people at an elementary school.
“Hopefully some law will come out of this devastating crime? The answer is yes. Absolutely yes,” Abbott said.
When asked about convening a special session for the legislature in response to the shooting, he said “all options are on the table.”
Since the shooting, Republicans have focused their messages on school safety, while Democrats are advocating for more gun control.
When more pressure was put on the measures Texas could see, Abbott focused on mental health and school safety.
“You can expect a solid discussion and my hope is approved laws that I will sign to address health care in this state,” Abbott said. “There are a number of health issues related to those who commit gun crimes.”
Abbott seemed more resistant to measures aimed at checking the background of weapons and the new laws on the purchase of rifles.
Abbott pointed to other school shootings in which a background check did not stop a shooter because the person who committed the act passed control.
“Anyone who suggests that we should focus on background checks instead of mental health, I suggest you are wrong,” Abbott said.
As for rifles, Abbott said that “since Texas is a state, an 18-year-old has had the ability to buy a long pistol, a rifle.”
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“And since then, it seems like we’ve only had school shootings in the last decade or two,” Abbott said. “For a century and a half, 18-year-olds could buy rifles and we didn’t have school shootings, but now we do. Maybe we are focusing on the wrong thing. “
The shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has sparked national outrage as more details emerge about police waiting outside the elementary school building while the shooter was inside.
Abbott told a news conference that he was “livid” by the initial “inaccurate” information he received about the police’s response to the shooting, as he had previously said authorities handled the event with “courage”.