Proposal fails to address the issue of guns in school shootings
Washington, D.C., May 30, 2018 - Nearly two weeks after 10 people at Santa Fe High School were murdered by a gunman, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled a proposal today that would increase armed security at schools, reduce the number of school entrances, and invest in mental health services. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sharply criticized the proposal for calling for more rather than fewer guns in schools, while noting the governor’s consistent support for the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby.
“Gov. Abbott, it’s a straightforward question - what are you planning to do about the guns?” stated Kris Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign. “The answer to preventing school shootings isn’t some deep-seated secret. It’s guns. It’s the fact that it’s frighteningly easy for dangerous people to get access to a gun, and this proposal does little to stop that. Providing free gun locks is important, but it’s not nearly enough and, frankly, a real investment in public education around the need for safe storage is required. We’ve been working on this issue longer than anyone, and yet when we reached out to the governor’s office to have a real, honest conversation about the issue, we were ignored. It’s disappointing that Gov. Abbott has elected to ignore the real issue at hand and instead offer inadequate solutions that won’t actually address the problem.”
“Texas’s political leaders are taking a page out of the NRA playbook,,” added Brady co-president Avery Gardiner. “Just a couple of weeks before the Santa Fe school shooting we saw Gov. Abbott, Sen. Cruz, and Lt. Gov. Patrick stand up in front of the NRA Convention in Dallas and pledge their fealty to the gun lobby. They all have A or A+ ratings from the NRA. We’re disappointed but frankly not surprised at this weak-kneed proposal. Texas has suffered two high profile mass shootings recently -- in Santa Fe and in Sutherland Springs, and yet its elected leaders do little to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Shame on them.”
Brady has one powerful mission — to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It’s in our hands.
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