After fumbled Uvalde shooting response, Texas senator wants to make it easier to sue law enforcement officers
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a San Antonio Democrat, introduced a package of legislation that includes a bill that would end qualified immunity, which shields government officials from liability for constitutional violations.
Federal judge in Texas rules that disarming those under protective orders violates their Second Amendment rights
U.S. District Judge David Counts signed another opinion Thursday that cited a lack of historical record on laws relating to domestic violence to justify disarming abusers. Advocates fear the ruling will put more victims in harmโs way.
Texas state trooper who responded to Uvalde shooting fired amid investigations into police response
Department of Public Safety Sgt. Juan Maldonado is the first state police officer fired in the aftermath of a botched police response to the shooting. He was the highest-ranking state trooper to initially respond to Robb Elementary School.
Texas struggles to get guns away from domestic violence suspects, leaving victims in danger
Although there are laws on the books preventing certain people from possessing guns, there are few places in the state where the criminal justice system has programs to hand over firearms to law enforcement โ leaving survivors at a heightened risk for gun violence.
35 family members of Uvalde shooting victims throw their support behind Beto OโRourke ahead of debate
In a news conference ahead of the only gubernatorial debate, 35 family members of Uvalde school shooting victims said they would support OโRourke because of Gov. Greg Abbottโs inaction on gun control measures.
Five Department of Public Safety officers face a formal investigation over Uvalde shooting response
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from several local, state and federal agencies have been heavily criticized for the delayed response in confronting the gunman during the worst school shooting in Texas history.
Abbott says raising the age to buy an assault-style rifle is โunconstitutionalโ based on recent court rulings
The gunman in Uvalde bought two AR-15-style rifles days after he turned 18, the legal purchasing age in Texas, and used the weapons to kill 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary.
Families of the Uvalde shooting victims denounce Gov. Greg Abbottโs inaction on gun reform
The governor has made a vocal enemy in the families of Robb Elementary shooting victims. They are demanding a special legislative session to reach a compromise on the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles.
Texas congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents Uvalde, breaks with House Republicans to vote for gun bill
The U.S. House passed the legislation Friday afternoon. Nearly all Texas Republicans voted against it. The bill is widely viewed as a series of modest changes to current gun regulations, falling far short of proposals pushed by House Democrats and President Joe Biden.
Hereโs how Pete Arredondo and other law enforcement differ on what happened during the Uvalde shooting
New information released by law enforcement sources and the director of the Department of Public Safety tells a different story about police response to the shooting than Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo.
Caught between an A+ NRA rating and a nation reeling from shootings, John Cornyn is key to whether gun safety deal advances
The bipartisan gun legislation could end up being a career definer for John Cornyn, Texasโ senior senator. Heโs shown a past willingness to compromise but faces critics further to his right, including his fellow senator Ted Cruz.
U.S. senators reach deal on gun legislation in aftermath of Uvalde shooting
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was one of the lead negotiators for the proposal, which would expand background checks for people under 21 and encourage states to enact โred flagโ laws. President Joe Biden and House Democrats had wanted to go further.
Waiting for keys, unable to break down doors: Uvalde schools police chief defends delay in confronting gunman
Criticized by law enforcement experts for slowness in taking out the shooter, Pete Arredondo described an agonizing wait for a key that would work. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, he said he hadnโt spoken out sooner because he didnโt want to compound his hometownโs grief or point blame.
Texas politicians search for solutions after another mass shooting. Experts say weโve already found them.
In arguing over causes of the latest mass shooting, political debate often overlooks the range of incremental steps that could lessen the chances of mass killing and help address the nationโs persistent gun violence.
Some Texas GOP donors urge Congress to act on gun control measures like โred flagโ laws, expanded background checks
More than 250 self-declared gun enthusiasts, including donors who have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbottโs campaigns, have signed on to an open letter supporting Sen. John Cornynโs efforts at bipartisan gun reform legislation.
Partisan tensions flare among Texans in congressional gun hearing
House Democrats are combining several gun policy bills into one large package known as the Protecting our Kids Act. Among the measures in the bill: raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21; outlawing the sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of a large-capacity magazine; and creating tax breaks for purchasing proper gun storage equipment.
Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, says itโs a โslap in the faceโ to be left off committee responding to shooting
Gutierrez, a Democrat who has been critical of the stateโs response to past shootings, said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also snubbed state senators whose districts were affected by shootings in El Paso and Santa Fe.
Gun ownership is ingrained in Uvaldeโs culture. Some here are rethinking how it should be regulated.
Longtime Uvalde residents say the city is a hunting mecca and the love for guns goes right along with it. But some would now support measures like raising the age limit to buy AR-style weapons or monitoring high-volume ammunition purchases.
Beto OโRourke renews calls for tougher gun laws after Uvalde shooting, including on assault weapons
OโRourke became known on the presidential campaign trail for his โHell yesโ promise to ban assault weapons. Heโs been less vocal about the policy in his run for governor but this week, after the school shooting in Uvalde, heโs been newly assertive about the issue.
After another mass shooting, Texas Democrats again push for gun control measures
The question moving forward is whether Democrats, outnumbered in the Texas Legislature for two decades, will be able to put enough pressure on lawmakers to move on a previously intractable issue in gun-friendly Texas and that Republicans, who support looser gun laws, will fight tooth and nail.