1/ In the past 6 decades, #Texas has experienced 19 mass shootings that have killed 200 people & wounded +230.
Yet state leaders have repeatedly batted away measures that would limit access to guns, opting instead to ease restrictions.
propublica.org/article/mass-s…
2/ An analysis by @propublica @thetexastribune of hundreds of bills filed in past 6 decades found that at least 2 dozen measures would have prevented people from legally obtaining the weapons, including assault rifles & large-capacity magazines, used in 7 of the mass shootings.
3/ For instance, 5 bills would have required people seeking to obtain a gun undergo a background check. Such a check would’ve kept the 2019 Midland-Odessa shooter from legally buying the weapon because he’d been deemed to have a mental illness.
justice.gov/usao-ndtx/pr/m…
4/ +7 bills would have banned the sale/possession of semi-automatic rifle man used in the 2019 #ElPaso Walmart shooting.
The border town is in the news again this week after a shooting at a mall that abuts this Walmart. The investigation is ongoing.
elpasomatters.org/2023/02/15/mas…
5/ And at least 2 bills would have raised the legal age to own or purchase an assault weapon from 18 to 21 years old, which would have made it illegal for the Uvalde school shooter to buy the semi-automatic assault rifles he used to kill 21. texastribune.org/2022/05/25/uva…
6/ As the TX Legislature convenes for the first time since the Robb Elementary shooting, lawmakers have once again filed a slate of gun control bills. If history is an indicator, they’re unlikely to pass.
texastribune.org/2023/02/15/uva…
7/ We reached out to top 3 Republican state leaders @GovAbbott @DanPatrickTX and @DadePhelan for comment and shared details of our findings. They didn't respond to requests for an interview. Phelan’s staff referred us to previous statements.
texastribune.org/2022/09/23/dad…
8/ This analysis is based on a review of +700 bills introduced in the #txlege since 1965, along with legislative reports, news clips, press releases and databases compiled by nonprofits that track mass shootings, including @theviolencepro
and @MotherJones.
9/ It was a months-long team effort with @jessica_priest @LChurchilll @lomikriel and @renLarson_ (who is now with @TheAssemblyNC)
10/ Here you can read details of the 19 mass shootings, along with what lawmakers did following each incident, starting with the 1966 massacre of 16 people at the University of Texas at Austin.
texastribune.org/2023/02/16/mas…
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