Tarrant County to consider calling for special session on school safety, AR ownership
As cries mount for changes to gun laws in Texas, the Tarrant County commissioners will consider a resolution at their June 14 meeting to call on Gov. Greg Abbott to hold a special session on school safety and common sense measures for semi-automatic rifle ownership, commissioner Roy Brooks told the court Tuesday.
The call comes following the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, in which 19 students and two teachers lost their lives.
Texas has seen eight mass shootings in 13 years. Recent gun laws, meanwhile, have allowed greater gun access statewide.
Last week, Abbott asked to leaders to form legislative committees to examine both school and firearm safety.
The commissioners have dedicated $40 million of its American Rescue Plan Act dollars to a category in its spending plan that includes mitigating violence in the community. Judge Glen Whitley said the commissioners would continue looking into distributing more funding for safety.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 1:34 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated with clarifications on Whitley’s statement on American Rescue Plan Act funds from his spokesperson.
