Earlier this week, a Texas writer took to a national platform, The New York Times, to declare a moral disaster in Texas, pinning blame directly on what he called the Texas governor’s failure to respond to mass shootings.
Richard Parker is a journalist and author of the book, “Lone Star Nation: How Texas will Transform America.” He wants the state government to take action to curb gun violence
“Texas now leads the country in recent double-digit casualty mass shootings,” Parker says. “There have now been four major mass shootings, and a fifth – the Dallas police officers – under Governor Abbott’s watch,” Parker says.
Parker says the governor should develop a policy, and ask the legislature to pass it. To do that before 2021, the Legislature would have to meet in special session.
“Right now the governor is convening invitation-only roundtables around the state,” Parker says. “The governor said at [a] press conference [after the Odessa shooting] that he is acting. And when asked, he said ‘I’m having a meeting every day.’ That’s not action.”
Parker says he supports some sort of gun buyback program that would remove existing guns circulation.
“Some countries have had some success,” Parker says. He says mass shootings have been reduced in Australia since a gun buyback program was established.
Parker is hopeful that the shock of the El Paso shooting will result in some movement on measures that would restrict guns. The number of people killed and wounded in attack, and the racist motives of the alleged shooter are the reason.
“It really went to the heart of the country’s 60 million Latinos,” Parker says. “And I don’t think they’re going to forget, come election time next year.”
Parker doubts the governor and Legislature will act, but he suspects that lack of action will hurt Republicans at the polls, especially among suburban voters.
Written by Shelly Brisbin.
