Note: The hearing has ended. To read the latest, click here: Texas House kicks off inquiry into Uvalde shooting behind closed doors
A Texas House of Representatives committee investigating the Robb Elementary School shooting will hold a hearing on Thursday morning in Austin.
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The committee is expected to hear from law enforcement authorities, but witnesses will be questioned in executive session “because of the quasi-judicial nature of the committee’s investigation,” according to state officials.
The hearing is slated to start at 9 a.m. View a livestream of the hearing in the video player above.
Delays are possible; if there is not a livestream available, check back at a later time.
The state hearing comes a day after a Robb Elementary student, Uvalde pediatrician and parents of a slain student spoke to Congress about gun violence in America.
The House Oversight Committee heard from Miah Cerrillo, who said she saw the gunman shoot her teacher in the head.
As the gunman turned his weapon to the two adjoining classrooms, she dipped her fingers in a classmate’s blood, covered herself in it, and played dead in order to survive.
Uvalde’s only pediatrician, Dr. Roy Guerrero, described the horrors that day.
He said he saw two children “whose bodies have been pulverized by bullets fired at them. Decapitated. Whose flesh have been ripped apart, that the only clue at their identities was a blood-splattered cartoon clothes still clinging to them, clinging for life and finding none.”
Kimberly and Felix Rubio, the parents of Alexandria “Lexi,” spoke to demand gun reform.
Through tears, Kimberly Rubio, the mother of Alexandria “Lexi,” listed possible solutions for America’s gun violence epidemic: expanding background checks, implementing red flags laws, raising the minimum age to purchase an AR-15-style rifle to 21 from 18, and holding gun manufacturers accountable.
They’re also seeking a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
“We understand that for some reason, for some people, to people with money, to people who fund political campaigns, that guns are more important than children,” she said. “So at this moment, we ask for progress.”
Also on Wednesday, the House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill in response to the recent mass shootings. It would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds.
The legislation was passed by a mostly party-line vote of 223-204. It has almost no chance of becoming law as the Senate pursues negotiations focused on improving mental health programs, bolstering school security and enhancing background checks.
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