Tag Archives: gun control

The empty “mental health” promise

Posted on June 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What’s going on in Uvalde these days. Days after the May 24 shooting, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised an “abundance of mental health services” to help “anyone in the community who needs it … the totality of anyone who lives … Continue reading →

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Biden signs modest gun control bill

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s now the law. We’ll see for how long. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a bipartisan measure to address gun violence, less than 24 hours after the bill was approved by the U.S. House and a month … Continue reading →

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A big part of the Cornyn gun bill will do nothing in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. The bipartisan gun bill that is on a fast track through Congress and backed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn includes new state grants to incentivize red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily seize firearms from people … Continue reading →

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Cornyn-Murphy gun bill gets final passage

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What great timing, huh? Exactly one month after a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers in a Uvalde elementary school, the most significant new gun laws in decades were headed to President Joe Biden’s desk on Friday … Continue reading →

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We’re still not going to get a special session for gun safety legislation

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

But I still appreciate the effort. Someone has to do it. With Texas schools restarting classes in less than two months, Texas Senate Democrats renewed calls Monday for Gov. Greg Abbott to bring lawmakers back to Austin this summer to … Continue reading →

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Uvalde versus DPS

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Someone’s not happy. Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin on Tuesday accused state authorities of selectively releasing information about last month’s school shooting to scapegoat local law enforcement and intentionally leaving out details about the state’s response to the massacre. New details … Continue reading →

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Cornyn’s gun control bill passes the Senate

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Happy to have had my cynicism proven wrong. Exactly four weeks after a teenage gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle massacred 19 elementary schoolers and two teachers in Uvalde, the U.S. Senate voted 64-34 Tuesday night to advance a bipartisan … Continue reading →

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DPS pins the blame on Arredondo

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Look out for that bus! Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told a state Senate committee Tuesday that the law enforcement response to the Uvalde school shooting was an “abject failure” and police could have stopped the shooter at … Continue reading →

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Of course we don’t do nearly enough for mental health

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Because Republicans rush to talk about “mental health” every time there’s another mass shooting, it’s important to remember that their response to meeting the demand for mental health, in schools and elsewhere, has been completely inadequate. Tucker’s was the kind … Continue reading →

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What were Uvalde police actually doing at Robb Elementary?

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll say it again: The more we learn about the law enforcement response to the Uvalde massacre, the worse it looks. Surveillance footage shows that police never tried to open a door to two classrooms at Robb Elementary School in … Continue reading →

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So how’s that bipartisan agreement on a framework for a gun control deal going?

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s check in. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn arrived at the Texas GOP convention in Houston Friday to address his role as chief negotiator for a bipartisan gun package head on — and was promptly booed for it. “No gun control!” … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of resistance to releasing information about Uvalde

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The City of Uvalde and its police department are working with a private law firm to prevent the release of nearly any record related to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in which 19 children and two teachers … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Abbott 48, Beto 43

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A lot closer than their previous poll, from December. In the race for Texas governor, 48 percent of voters support Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, while 43 percent support Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of … Continue reading →

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What was DPS doing during the Uvalde massacre?

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not much, it would seem. As many as 13 troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety waited in a hallway at one point during a gunman’s rampage that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in … Continue reading →

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March For Our Lives

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure would like to think that all this activist energy means that things are different this time. Hundreds of Houstonians gathered near City Hall in downtown Saturday for the student-led March for Our Lives, one of dozens of events … Continue reading →

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Running the Sandy Hook playbook against the Uvalde gun manufacturer

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sincerely hope it works. Will the attorney who won a $73 million settlement from Remington for nine Sandy Hook families use the same playbook in his legal dealings with the company that made the AR-15-style rifle used in the … Continue reading →

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Uvalde’s police chief speaks

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll reserve judgment for now. Only a locked classroom door stood between Pete Arredondo and a chance to bring down the gunman. It was sturdily built with a steel jamb, impossible to kick in. He wanted a key. One goddamn … Continue reading →

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Justice Department starts its review of the Uvalde law enforcement response

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what they turn up. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the Department of Justice’s investigation into the law enforcement response to the elementary school shooting in Uvalde won’t be criminal in nature. Garland described the federal … Continue reading →

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McConaughey opines for gun control

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad. I believe that responsible, law-abiding Americans have a Second Amendment right, enshrined by our founders, to bear arms. I also believe we have a cultural obligation to take steps toward slowing down the senseless killing of our children. … Continue reading →

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We’ve seen this movie before

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but I know how this ends. Major Republican donors, including some that have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns, joined other conservative Texans in signing an open letter supporting congressional action to increase gun restrictions in … Continue reading →

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If committees are all we’re going to get, then let’s get something from the committees

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much to ask, I hope. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced the creation of a legislative committee to investigate the Uvalde shooting. “The fact we still do not have an accurate picture of what exactly happened … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the Uvalde gun lawsuits

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if they can get anywhere. A teacher at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde has filed paperwork indicating she intends to sue the gun manufacturer who made the assault-style rifle the gunman used to massacre 19 children and two teachers. Don Flanary, a lawyer … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Social media monitoring is not a solution to school shootings

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

While current Republican “solutions” for gun violence include door control and arming teachers, one “solution” that has been in place for the past few years has been monitoring social media for signs of gun-related threats. That was in place in … Continue reading →

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The very least Greg Abbott could do

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You can always count on him for that. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called on the Texas Legislature to form special committees to make legislative recommendations in response to the Uvalde school shooting. In a letter to House Speaker Dade … Continue reading →

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The entire law enforcement response in Uvalde is messed up

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What is going on here? The official response to the mass shooting at an Uvalde elementary school — a response already marred by shifting narratives, finger-pointing and a general lack of timely and accurate information — took a further turn … Continue reading →

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It’s called “talking out of both sides of your mouth”

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an old and effective trick, but that doesn’t mean it has to work. For a moment Friday afternoon, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was in two places at once. At about 3:30, the National Rifle Association played videotaped remarks from … Continue reading →

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Justice Department to review what happened with Uvalde police

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. The U.S. Department of Justice will review the law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school massacre as local police face intense scrutiny for not acting quickly enough to confront the shooter. “The goal of the review is to provide … Continue reading →

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Please don’t ever talk to me about “a good guy with a gun” or “hardening the schools” again

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The police were there but did nothing. A gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at a South Texas elementary school walked unopposed onto school grounds, state law enforcement officials said Thursday — and once he was inside, it … Continue reading →

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Uvalde

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have anything clever or original to say about the horrible tragedy in Uvalde. There’s a vast amount of stories and heartbreaking photos out there, so go and look to the extent that your heart and mental health can … Continue reading →

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The Killeen Luby’s mass shooting, 30 years later

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Observer takes a trip down memory lane. The man and his weapons were both from out of town. That’s one of the first things many Killeen residents, both past and present, will remind you: He wasn’t one of … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Permitless carry and total abortion bans are not popular in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More Q-poll data. One week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law allowing Texans to carry unlicensed handguns, voters say 74 – 24 percent that they oppose allowing anyone 21 years of age or older to carry … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry passes

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice to dream for a minute that the Republicans would fumble the ball short of the goal line on this, but it was never realistic. A bill to allow the permitless carrying of handguns in Texas is on … Continue reading →

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The 2022 primary target list

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re likely to see a significant number of primary challenges in 2022, in all districted offices. That’s partly because 2022 is a post-redistricting year, and with boundaries being shuffled there are always new opportunities for people who find themselves in … Continue reading →

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Might permitless carry actually fail?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t want to allow myself to hope, but there are some sticking points, and apparently some hard lines being drawn. Both the Texas House and Senate have agreed in large part to the concept of so-called “constitutional carry” legislation … Continue reading →

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