12 May In-the-News Update [Issue: 2nd Amendment]
In a rare instance following the recent mass shooting at a mall in Allen, Texas, a bill introduced in the Texas state House of Representatives that would raise the purchasing age for rifles from 18 to 21 began to gain momentum as it was advanced out of committee with an 8-5 vote. This came as somewhat of a shock given Texas’s solidly GOP-led legislature, with two Republican representatives voting in favor of the bill. However, the bill has fortunately been stalled, with its failure being probable, after Republicans allowed a deadline to lapse and prevented the bill from proceeding any further. Even if the bill were to make it all the way to the House floor, it is unsure whether it could make it past the state Senate, let alone be signed into law by Governor Abbot, given his previously stated commitment to not seeking gun control in response to mass shootings.