Texas wants to join the other nine US states in raising the legal purchase age for semiautomatic weapons from 18 to 21. Texas lawmakers are now pushing for the bill’s implementation. The Texas Senate and House of Representatives have submitted bills to make reforms.
The Texas Senate is considering a bill sponsored by Sen. Roland Gutierrez to increase the legal age for purchasing semiautomatic weapons. The Uvalde shooting and other recent mass shootings, he added, might impact votes despite the odds being against ratification.
Advocates for gun safety are attempting to support their position with fresh data. According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a review of FBI crime statistics reveals that people under the age of 21 are more likely to experience gun violence.
According to brain studies, young adults are more likely to act impulsively without fully considering the repercussions, according to Allison Anderman, senior attorney, and director of local policy at the Giffords Law Center, according to the upnorthlive.com report.
Republican lawmakers don’t believe the idea has the necessary support, and Conservative Governor Greg Abbott claims the change would be unconstitutional.
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Texas Gun Violence
At a rally at the Texas State Capitol on Feb. 28, state officials, Uvalde survivors, and gun safety proponents urged local authorities to confront the scourge of gun violence.
Advocates for ending gun violence waved signs and chanted. There were also parents of Robb Elementary School shooting victims present, holding signs to express their worries.
One of the bills submitted this session would raise the age requirement from 18 to 21 for purchasing a firearm. Strengthening background checks for persons wishing to purchase guns is one of the other pieces of legislation submitted. Advocates are hoping that some of these proposed measures may be passed this session.
Advocates visited politicians’ offices after the march on the south steps of the Capitol to discuss the reforms they wanted to see.
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