Gun Control in Texas
10/19/20
In this edition of Texans Talk, we will be talking about guns and the laws surrounding them in Texas.
Being from Texas, we all are familiar with guns. They are everywhere. It's no secret that many Texans are very enthusiastic about them and the second amendment that protects them. But is it a bad thing that guns are so common in Texas? Do they do more harming than helping? Do guns belong in schools? Do gun laws need changing? In this article we are going to try and find out the answers to these questions and more.
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First Things First
Let's get the basic knowledge of gun laws out of the way. In Texas, things are pretty relaxed when it comes to guns. It is pretty easy to buy them here. As long as you're 18 you can go and buy a firearm, 21 for the purchase of handguns. No registration, permit, or license needed. When it comes to carrying the guns is where you start to see restrictions. For the concealed carry of handguns, you must be 21 years of age or older and take a course given by a licensed instructor. Laws prohibit certain people from obtaining a concealed carry license, these include felons, people suffering from psychological impairments, etc. Some places don't allow for concealed carrying regardless of a license. These include schools, federal buildings, public sporting events, establishments that make more than half their sales off of alcohol, and any establishment with a 30.06 or 30.07 sign displayed. This signage basically allows the business owner to deny a person, regardless of any concealed handgun license, the right to carry in their establishment.
Helping or Harming?
If so many people in Texas are walking around toting their guns all day, there can't be that much crime or shootings right? Well, kind of. Depending on how you look at crime in Texas in recent years you may see two different stories. According to statistics, Texas ranked 17th in the US on the highest crime rates(usatoday.com), which isn't terrible but it could be way better. What changes this rank is when you realize it was given by proportion with population, we could have way more crimes committed than other states but our population makes the ratio better on paper. What also changes the rank is that Texas is one of only two states in 2018 that had over 100,000 violent crimes committed(usatoday.com). But, guns may not be to blame for all of these crimes. According to the figure on the right, Texas is actually doing better than most states when it comes to gun deaths. Could these numbers be better? Sure, but it does show that we aren't doing terrible when it comes guns and death. It is also worth noting that in US, there are up to 2.5 million "defensive gun uses" a year(cdc.gov). A defensive gun use is "the use of a firearm to protect and defend one’s self, family, others, and/or property against crime or victimization."(cdc.gov) And not all cases of "defensive gun use" is a gun discharged. Meaning not every case where someone defends themselves or other with a gun, does someone have to get shot or even die.
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Do Guns Belong in Schools?It's no secret that school shootings are an issue in America, especially Texas. In fact we have the second most school shootings since 1970 by state, 133, behind California, 158. (reuters.com) For many students and parents this causes a fear of going to school. But, what is the solution? Is it armed staff? For Texas, 110 school districts of the 1,300 seem to believe they will help. (news4sanantonio.com) This comes after Gov. Abbott signed a new law in 2019 that allows for more guns in schools, places of worship, etc. (nbcnews.com) This isn't just a Texas thing though, Florida
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also passed a similar law following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. But, not everyone is on board with this idea. Many believe this is a step in the wrong direction. The founder of Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts, said "Instead of following other states' lead and passing life-saving legislation, like background checks and strong red flag laws, Texas’ governor and legislature have made even more lax gun laws" (nbcnews.com) A teacher from Stoneman Douglas High School revealed that many teachers are actually against being armed saying, "When it got passed, we were obviously taken aback, as probably, I would say, 95 percent of the staff was against it." Since this is a relatively new law, there are not many stats to decide whether armed staff members in school has had an impact. Only time will tell.
Time to Change the Laws?
After talking about all of the statistics and opinions from Texans, it's hard not to consider the question, do gun control laws need to change? If you ask the average Texan, you may get mixed results. When it comes to the Texas Legislature, things are a little different. In fact only 30% stated that they thought they were okay with how they are now. That doesn't mean that the rest seek to add stricter laws though. 17% that were poll stated they wanted to have more relaxed laws. Just under half wanted more strict laws.(texastribune.org) When it comes to "Red Flag Laws" it's a different story. 72% of those polled were for Red Flag Laws. (texastribune.com) What exactly is a Red Flag Law? It's a law that allows someone (family/friends or police) to request an order by a judge that confiscates a persons guns for an urgent reason. Most common reasons include; the person is experiencing suicidal thoughts or have talked about the idea of shooting/harming other people. (nytimes.com) Texas has not adopted any of these laws. Many people believe that they could help prevent lots of these shootings. Should Texas move to join other states in the addition of these new Red Flag Laws?