The fate of meaningful gun-law changes in Texas may lie in the hands of thousands of Republicans set to gather in Houston.
Texas GOP convention delegates and attendees are the inner core of the party. For decades, they’ve pushed state leaders to make it easier to acquire and carry guns. They represent the decisive voters in Republican primaries, often the only elections that matter in Texas, and they generally get their way.
Now, they have a chance to lead the way on reasonable changes that would help reduce gun violence without compromising Second Amendment rights, such as red-flag laws and a higher age threshold for rifle purchases. If these activists show a willingness to change, GOP leaders such as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick might follow.
We’d love to think that the governor and lieutenant governor could lead the flock rather than needing to be pushed. But after previous mass shootings, each time either showed a willingness to explore even the slightest restrictions, the base balked, and Abbott and other leaders quickly retreated.
We’re not talking about extensive gun-control measures here. The agenda that President Joe Biden laid out included some sensible ideas, such as support for red-flag laws, strengthening background checks and improving mental health care. But the rest was sweeping and unrealistic, including a renewed ban on “assault rifles.”
There is no feasible sweeping solution that will end attention-grabbing mass shootings or even the day-to-day gun violence that plagues our cities. But Texas can take action to save lives.
A red-flag law should be the highest priority. Allowing judges to approve orders to temporarily confiscate weapons from people who have expressed a willingness to kill or threatened specific violence could be enough to deter a massacre. Caution must be taken to protect individual rights, with an accessible appeal processes and measures to deter police and judges from rubber-stamping reasons to take weapons.
The common thread on so many mass shootings, including the school massacre in Uvalde, is that the shooter voiced clear threats, often online, and demonstrated instability. If actionable information gets to authorities, a red-flag law could make a difference.
After Uvalde, it’s clear that teenagers shouldn’t be able to obtain powerful rifles such as the AR-15. They cannot buy handguns, and there’s no good reason the rules on rifles and shotguns shouldn’t match. Of course, a shooter might still get one, if parents or other relatives don’t secure their guns. But we should never again see the spectacle of an 18-year-old who can’t even celebrate his birthday with a beer getting a new AR and taking it to a school.
Both these measures are in place, by the way, in Florida, often Texas’ main competition for which state can most readily address conservatives’ policy desires. If they’re good enough for Gov. Ron DeSantis, the apple of many GOP activists’ eyes, why couldn’t they work here?
One common reason Republicans oppose these modest measures is their concern that Democrats will use them as a step toward requiring national registration or even confiscation of guns. It’s as if they fear pulling one thread will unravel the entire Second Amendment.
Gun-control advocates aren’t helping, either. Biden casually referred to 9mm handguns as “high-caliber” and suggested banning them. That’s the most popular caliber for handguns, and, while the White House walked the comment back, that kind of sloppy language doesn’t build the necessary trust for compromise.
Let’s hear no more talk, either, of banning semiautomatic weapons — those that fire a round with each pull of the trigger without other action. No doubt many are misusing the language and mean to target rifles. But half of all new handguns sold are semiautomatic; talk of that wide a ban won’t convince anyone to compromise.
The president was better in his speech, assuring that he does not advocate for “taking away anyone’s guns.” He even went so far as to say he “respects the culture and concerns and traditions” of American gun rights.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn is leading the way for Republicans as lawmakers negotiate on proposals such as stronger, broader background checks. Some Texas conservatives are never quite happy with Cornyn, but he’s a serious legislator who could help reach a deal on some modest improvements — if he’s got the political latitude to do so.
Abbott has taken only cautious steps since the Uvalde shooting, prodding the Legislature and state agencies on school safety and other issues. Those are important, but so are the guns.
If conservative activists in the GOP don’t give Abbott and others cover to act, they won’t. Abbott beat back two challengers from the right this year, and Patrick is generally the most popular elected Republican among the base. They could afford politically to step outside their comfort zone.
GOP activists can help encourage them and lead their party to sensible changes that don’t endanger gun rights. And they should.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
