Gov. Greg Abbott currently is focused on his reelection campaign. But he still has a job to do, especially when an emergency arises.
The May 24 shooting at a Uvalde elementary school that killed 19 students and two teachers and left at least 17 others injured is such an emergency. Some six weeks later, it still hangs high on the public’s consciousness; it even motivated members of Congress — where conservative senators historically have defended gun rights over victims’ lives — to enact weapons reforms. Meanwhile in Texas, we’ve gotten virtually nothing from the governor of the state where the massacre actually occurred.
If anything screamed for our governor to take decisive action, the deadliest school shooting in Texas history is it. He didn’t.
Abbott did make the requisite trip to Uvalde. However, instead of comforting families of the slain children and pledging to take action, he held just another photo opportunity disguised as a news conference, surrounded by law enforcement officers and Republican Party leaders. He visited the old, tired, empty themes of mental health, with no suggestion he might look into it. He talked about arming teachers, a responsibility that teachers have adamantly said they don’t want.
Meanwhile, people across the state and nation — including state government — clamor for action.
High on the list of requests is that Abbott call a special session of the legislature to start considering bills that might reform gun ownership laws, rather than weaken them as recent legislation has done. Instead, the governor asked Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan to form committees to review the issue.
Those committees are holding a limited number of town hall meetings around the state, but they can’t offer any proposals if the legislature isn’t in session. If the governor doesn’t convene them early, that won’t happen until next year.
In a recent Suffolk University/Dallas Morning News poll, 78% of respondents wanted Abbott to call a special session.
Other surveys also show that responsible gun owners support responsible measures to curb violence. Most Texans support raising the age to buy guns to 21 and improving background checks. Members of the legislature, of both parties, say they are willing to discuss such topics.
Abbott has called plenty of special sessions in the past, even multiple times for the same topic, for matters such as restricting what bathrooms our children can use.
The lives of our children — the very people who represent our future — surely are just as important.
To their credit, members of Congress, led by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, took up the task that our governor has avoided, passing a reform bill last month that many consider inadequate, but it’s a starting point.
Greg Abbott is more than an incumbent in a passing election. He is the only person who can initiate the definitive legislative steps to resolve gun violence. Without real
action, we can expect to hear his same hollow words the next time Texas children are slaughtered. He should call for a special session now rather than continue with mere talk and unfulfilled promises that only insults the devastated families and critics crying for change.
As of now, in our eyes, Abbott has failed and abdicated his responsibilities to Texans.
Gov. Abbott, if not now, then when? If not you, then who?
