Greg Abbott Calls For Special Legislative Committees After School Shooting In Ulvade

Get our free mobile app

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling for leaders in the Texas House and Senate to form "special legislative committees" that will take a look at what type of legislation or actions can be taken to prevent school shootings in the future.

In Abbott's letter to Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, Abbott asked the committees to take a look at several issues including firearm training, police training, school safety and police training. Not included in his email? The banning of firearms or the raising of minimum age to purchase long guns and rifles.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Abbott did call for "solutions to protect all Texans".

“As Texans mourn the tragedy that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last week, we as a State must reassess the twin issues of school safety and mass violence,” Abbott said in the letter. “As leaders, we must come together at this time to provide solutions to protect all Texans.”

Abbott’s letter did not mention consideration of firearms restrictions — as some have been calling for after the 18-year-old gunman wielding an assault rifle entered the school.

Some Democrats in Texas slammed the idea of committees, while State Representative Jeff Leach called the move the "right step". Democrat candidate for Lt. Governor, Mike Collier was one Democrat who slammed Abbott's announcement according to the Dallas Morning News.

“We don’t need more letters, committees, or roundtables — our children need action,” said Mike Collier, the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor. “Under Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick, we have had special sessions to ban books and suppress the vote. Why won’t they hold a special session to protect our children?”

So far, Abbott has not embraced the idea of a special session.