GIFFORDS Lauds Texas Community Safety Committee for Voting to Raise Minimum Age to Purchase Semiautomatic Rifles
Washington DC — Today, GIFFORDS, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, lauded the Texas House Community Safety Committee for voting yes to raise the minimum age to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles. The vote comes just days after the latest mass shooting in Allen, Texas, where eight people were killed and another seven injured.
Peter Ambler, GIFFORDS Executive Director:
“This is big. GIFFORDS is grateful to the Texas House Community Safety Committee for finally taking a first step to address gun violence. Lawmakers have heard the cries for action from the families and victims of Uvalde, Cleveland, El Paso, and the countless other mass shootings that have taken place in the state. This bill would keep minors and young adults at higher risk of engaging in violent behavior from having easy access to particularly dangerous weapons of mass murder. Speaker Phelan and Chair Burrows must bring this bill up for a vote in the Calendars Committee before tomorrow’s deadline. The people of Texas deserve a vote on the House floor.”
Steven Kling, GIFFORDS Gun Owners for Safety Senior Ambassador, Texas Chapter:
“Over and over again, Texans grieve the many lives lost to gun violence in the state. Finally, we are seeing some action. We applaud the Texas Community Safety Committee for saying enough is enough and voting yes to raising the minimum age to purchase this kind of weaponry. Though we still have much more work to do, this is a step in the right direction.”
About HB 2744, Raising the Minimum Age:
HB 2744 would prohibit the transfer of certain semiautomatic rifles to certain recipients, including raising the minimum age to purchase certain semiautomatic rifles to 21. Minors and young adults are at a significantly higher risk of engaging in violent behaviors, including school shootings. Data from the FBI suggests that young people disproportionately commit gun homicides. For example, people aged 18 to 20 comprise just four percent of the US population but account for 17% of known homicide offenders.
More on Texas:
Texas has some of the worst gun laws in the country. According to GIFFORDS Law Center’s Annual Gun Law Scorecard, the state received an F due to its dangerously weak gun laws. In 2021, Texas enacted permitless carry. In order to improve its grade, Texas should require background checks for all firearm sales, create extreme risk protection orders, repeal its permitless carry law, enact anti-gun trafficking laws, and strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and hate crimes.
Four of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in recent US history have happened in Texas: 26 people were shot and killed at the Sutherland Springs shooting in 2017, 23 people were shot and killed at the Killeen shooting in 1991, 23 people were shot and killed at an El Paso Walmart in 2019.