Commentary roundup: What newspapers around the state are saying

Houston Chronicle

June 13 editorial, "Thank you, Senator Cornyn. Gun reform appears to move forward."

Sen. John Cornyn joined nine other Republican leaders Sunday in announcing a tentative, bipartisan deal on gun reform regulations in the Senate. To which we say: at last.

When Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had tasked Cornyn with brokering a deal on gun reform after Uvalde, some Democrats and pessimistic TV analysts had dismissed it as a mere stalling tactic that would lead nowhere. Cornyn’s swift progress suggests that they were wrong.

The proposed legislation reportedly promises to close the so-called boyfriend loophole and would incorporate juvenile records into background checks for would-be buyers under age 21. It also boosts school safety and mental health funding, among other measures. Closing the loophole would mean that those convicted of violence against dating partners would be barred from purchasing guns just as those convicted of violence against family members already are, something Democrats have long called for.

“Our plan saves lives while also protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans,” the Senate group said in a statement.

This plan, if adopted by the full Senate, would mark the most meaningful step toward gun reform in more than a decade and end the GOP’s near-perfect record as gun reform obstructionists. For that reason alone, the compromise is worth cheering. It offers proof Congress can move forward even in an era of bitter partisan divisions.

— The Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

Dallas Morning News

June 15 editorial, "Texas was too close to another mass murder of children."

How close were we to another massacre of children?

What happened at the Duncanville Fieldhouse on Monday will be a blip on the national news radar because, thank the heavens, this time a door was locked, this time law enforcement engaged quickly, this time the gunman was shot dead before he could kill.

But the lesson from a Duncanville summer camp should not be that everything worked, anymore than the lesson from Uvalde should be that everything did not.

The lesson is that it seems these days we are always and everywhere at risk.

No society should exist like this. No human can be on perpetual alert, nor can systems be created in an open society that protect people at all times from those bent on murder.

The lesson of Duncanville is the same as that of Uvalde.

— The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board

San Antonio Express-News

June 14 editorial, "Jan. 6 hearings crucial for preventing future insurrection."

Not since the Watergate hearings have we seen and heard such a disturbing dissertation on government corruption.

Watergate happened 50 years ago. The Jan. 6 committee hearings pack the extra punch of being history in the moment. Every revelation adds a brushstroke to the portrait of a president driven by mendacity and a lust for power.

With a broad overview of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, including terrifying video clips, the House committee opened its hearings last week. The riot was the “culmination of an attempted coup,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chairman, said. The committee outlined a seven-part plan among former President Donald Trump and his advisers to wrest the presidential victory from Joe Biden, including bogus claims of fraud and failed attempts to alter the results in key states.

“This was a sprawling attempt to overturn the election, aimed at overturning the votes of millions,” Thompson said.

The hearings expected to resume this week represent a riveting and crucial look at an administration desperate to retain the power it lost in the 2020 election. We knew much of this before, courtesy of the leaks inundating Washington. But the fresh details would shock the most cynical observer.

— San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board

New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung

June 15 editorial, "Water-related deaths should be a reminder"

What began as a good sign with the passing of the Memorial Day holiday weekend without a water-related death has turned a great deal darker since.

There have been four deaths on Canyon Lake in less than a week — and a couple of other incidents that could have easily driven that number to six.

Two of those were drownings, while authorities believe the other two were killed when "someone accidentally throttled or shifted" a boat into gear, causing one or both of its propellers to hit both swimmers from the boat who were already in the water.

All of those cases are under investigation by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials.

A fifth water-related fatality happened in mid-May when authorities say a still-yet unidentified Mexican national drowned in the Guadalupe River.

All of the incidents should serve as vivid reminders that while water recreation might be a big draw to our region for people seeking relaxation, when it comes to safety, you can never afford to relax.

— New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung Editorial Board

Seguin Gazette-Enterprise

It's happened here in Seguin more times than one would care to see it. Once is too much and more than that is a problem.

"It" is the crime called "jugging," which local law enforcement described as "when a customer leaves a bank and is followed until the suspect breaks into the victim's vehicle at another location."

Local police recently distributed a photo of a vehicle suspected of being involved in two instances of jugging in Seguin.

Law enforcement officers are trying to capture the culprits stealing significant amounts of cash from unsuspecting motorists who do their banking but leave money in their vehicles afterward.

Seguin Police Department officials asked for help from the public in stalling instances of the crime. The help can come in the form of helping to identify the vehicle and suspects, which could lead to an arrest or arrests.

— Seguin Gazette-Enterprise Editorial Board

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman Commentary Roundup: June 19, 2022