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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 23 May 2018

Texas governor convenes new discussions on school safety

By JIM VERTUNO ther, police have said. It’s sibly get. Assigning blame
Associated Press unclear whether the sus- to a particular firearm or a
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas pect’s father was aware caliber, that’s not helpful.
Gov. Greg Abbott con- that his son had taken the You’ve got to look at what-
vened the first in a series of weapons. “The reality is ever it is that happened
discussions on school safety we all want guns out of and see what failed,” Tripp
Tuesday, declaring in re- the hands of people who said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
sponse to last week’s shoot- would try to murder our said Texas should consider
ing near Houston, “We all children. The question is, limiting school access, per-
want guns out of the hands what are we, the leaders of haps by reducing the num-
of people who would try to Texas, going to do to pre- ber of entrances and arm-
murder our children.” vent this from happening ing more teachers, which
The governor called the again?” the governor said. is already allowed under
meetings after the attack After the meeting, Abbott Texas law. After the 2012 Gov. Gregg Abbott hosts a roundtable discussion about safety
on Santa Fe High School, said the topics discussed assault on Sandy Hook El- in Texas schools after the recent school shooting in Sante Fe at
where eight students and included better tracking of ementary School in Con- the Texas state Capitol on May 22, 2018, in Austin, Texas.
two teachers were slain student mental health, in- necticut, Texas permitted (Ana Ramirez/Austin American-Statesman via AP)
Friday in an art classroom. cluding monitoring of social teachers or school employ- rity. started.
The initial gathering in- media; boosting a program ees to carry handguns on Nearly 200 Texas school Dallas County Schools Su-
volved school districts that that trains and arms teach- campus if they met cer- districts allow staff to carry perintendent Michael Hino-
arm some teachers or hire ers; and finding a way to tain training requirements. guns. Santa Fe recently josa said the conversation
local police for security. hold parents accountable Some large school districts joined them, but officials on mental health was wel-
Abbott planned to talk when their children threat- also have their own law have said the district was come. He said his district
Wednesday with gun-rights en classmates or kill. Gun- enforcement offices, and still in training. The school already has a police force
advocates and gun-con- control measures did not some others contract with had two armed officers on and isn’t interested in arm-
trol groups, followed Thurs- come up, Abbott said. One local authorities for secu- campus when the shooting ing teachers.q
day by meetings with survi- gun-control group, Texas
vors of the school shooting Gun Sense, said it will push
and the November assault this week for tougher back-
on a rural church that killed ground checks on gun pur-
more than two dozen wor- chases, suicide-prevention
shippers in the village of programs, gun safety at
Sutherland Springs. home and so-called “red
The Republican governor flag” laws that restrict gun
has been a staunch sup- access for people identi-
porter of gun rights, and fied as potentially danger-
there has been little men- ous. “We can’t do gun vio-
tion of any new weapons lence prevention without
restrictions in Texas, where being optimistic. We are
more than 1.2 million peo- glad the governor invited
ple are licensed to carry us,” said Gyl Switzer, execu-
handguns and state law tive director of the group.
allows for the open carry- “We need immediate ac-
ing of rifles. The state’s top tion. School starts in the fall,
GOP leaders have instead and we can’t be fooling
called for “hardening” around.”
school campuses and arm- The Texas State Rifle Asso-
ing more teachers. ciation, which has played
“Every time there’s a shoot- a key role in getting state
ing, everyone wants to talk lawmakers to relax gun li-
about what the problem censing and passing open-
is,” Abbott said before the carry laws in recent years,
meeting was closed to the dismissed the idea of new
media. “By now, we know gun restrictions.
what the problem is. The Alice Tripp, the rifle associa-
problem is innocent peo- tion’s legislative director,
ple are being shot. That said the guns used in the
must be stopped.” Santa Fe attack are com-
The Santa Fe gunman used mon in many Texas homes.
a handgun and a shotgun “That’s about as basic of
that were owned by his fa- a firearm as you can pos-