Uvalde County commissioners ask Abbott to call special session, raise age to buy assault rifles to 21

The Uvalde County commissioners have unanimously passed a resolution asking Gov. Greg Abbott to hold a special session to consider raising the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic assault style rifles from 18 to 21.

The gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School purchased AR-15-style rifles and ammunition a few days after he turned 18. Federal law requires that someone must be 21 to purchase a handgun, but under Texas law, 18-year-olds can legally purchase assault rifles.

The next legislative session is scheduled to begin in January, and Abbott is the only person empowered to call lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session before then.

ExclusiveWatch Uvalde school shooting video obtained by Statesman showing police response

Ronald Garza, a Uvalde County commissioner who requested for the resolution to be on the agenda, said that he had spoken with gun advocates and people of different backgrounds who all supported increasing the age, and he believes most Texans can agree on the issue.

“Our nation is under attack. Texas is under attack. ... We cannot wait another year. We cannot wait another month. We cannot wait another day,” Garza said during the county Commissioners Court meeting.

The resolution said that gun violence has “increased dramatically” across the U.S., in Texas and within Uvalde County in the past decade, and that Uvalde County supports efforts to protect the health and safety of its community.

“It is our duty to protect every person and child of Uvalde County; NOW,” the resolution said.

In 2020, the most recent year with data available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a record of 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S. In Texas, the rate of gun deaths increased from 12.7 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 14.2 per 100,000 people in 2020.

Three of the four county commissioners attended the Monday meeting and voted in favor of the resolution. Jerry Bates, the lone Republican county commissioner, was absent.

County Commissioner Mariano Pargas Jr. told the American-Statesman that he supported the resolution because “we need to make a change.” The other commissioners did not respond to a request for comment.

After the Uvalde school shooting, Gov. Greg Abbott asked the Legislature in June to form special committees to study school safety and mass violence, but he stopped short of calling a special session despite requests from Democratic lawmakers, as well as from the mayors of the state's largest cities. The committees have since met multiple times.

Many Texans and Democratic lawmakers, however, have continued to call for laws to raise the purchasing age for assault weapons from 18 to 21, including several Uvalde community members during a rally Sunday in the town advocating law enforcement accountability and limits on gun access.

In response to the resolution from the Uvalde County commissioners, Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said all options remain on the table and “more announcements are expected in the upcoming days and weeks” as lawmakers continue to deliberate on solutions.

“Gov. Abbott has taken immediate action to address all aspects of the heinous crime committed in Uvalde, requesting the Texas Legislature also work on legislative recommendations to make schools safer, including considering school safety, mental health, firearm safety, police training, social media, and more,” Eze said.

Abbott and other state leaders on June 28 directed $105.5 million for several initiatives they said would improve school safety and mental health services, with half of the money going toward bullet-resistant shields for law enforcement.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Uvalde County Commissioners ask Abbott to raise Texas' age to buy gun