EL PASO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2023) Spurred by the deaths of their children eight months ago in the Uvalde school shooting, parents and families during a press conference at the Texas Capitol urged lawmakers to pass common sense gun laws.
The presser, held in the Texas Senate and led by state Senator Roland Gutierrez, comes during a week that saw at least four multi-victim shootings in the United States - three in California and one in the state of Washington.
On May 24, 2022, a gunman fatally shot 19 schoolchildren and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy was made worse when evidence emerged that local authorities failed to meet basis security standards in the handling of the incident.
Gutierrez said he introduced four bills and resolutions earlier in the day to address gun violence.
"We must take action to have accountability from #Texas for their failures on May 24th. We need to make changes to our laws so we may prevent these tragedies from happening again!" Gutierrez said in a tweet on Tuesday.
During the presser, Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the two teachers killed, took aim at the country's powerful gun lobby - the National Rifle Association (NRA).
"Take clear notice of these common-sense gun laws that we Americans and our children, our future need in order to live in a carefree, peaceful life in the United States of America... and stop living in the United States of the NRA," Duran said.
The new measures introduced by Gutierrez include a ban on shielding gunmakers along with a repeal of qualified immunity for "peace officers" employed by the state, among others.
In June, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said local authorities responding to the Uvalde school shooting could have stopped the gunman within three minutes.
Results of the probe into the incident revealed there was no police officer at the school readily available to engage the gunman, who walked into the school unobstructed. In addition, law enforcement took nearly an hour to prepare to enter the school to engage the shooter.
