After last year’s mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, the topic of whether Texas should have red flag laws resurfaced again. That’s the name for any type of measure that allows law enforcement and family members to petition a court to remove someone’s firearms. Although President Donald Trump has expressed support for such laws, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said it is something the Legislature should decide. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said such a measure would never be passed by the Texas Senate.
But 17 other states and the District of Columbia do have them.
A warning: this story mentions suicide.
From KERA:
Josh’s girlfriend broke up with him in the fall of 2017, and it hit him hard. He became depressed, started drinking and became more withdrawn. He got into a few mountain biking accidents, which his mom, Diane, thought were intentional. She thought he was trying to hurt himself.
“And then it just seemed like all of a sudden he spiraled down bad,” Diane said.
Guns & America is a public media reporting project on the role of guns in American life.
