In the wake of the mass shooting that killed 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso last Saturday, Texas gun enthusiasts and lawmakers remain steadfast in their support for loose firearms laws, despite renewed calls for change.
Dan Golvach, a Texas gun enthusiast, described the shooting as a “moral disaster” but argued against tighter gun controls. “We are Texas because of guns,” he said at Shiloh, a shooting range and shop in suburban Houston. Golvach, whose son was shot dead in 2015, believes carrying a handgun makes him safer.
Texas has a history of responding to shootings by loosening gun laws. After a 2017 church shooting near San Antonio that killed 26 people, a law taking effect next month will allow licensed gun owners to bring weapons into places of worship. Following the 2018 Santa Fe high school shooting, measures were passed to allow more armed teachers and improve emergency responses.
In 2016, Texas legalised open carry of handguns in most public places and concealed carry on university campuses. The state Republican party, aligned with the National Rifle Association, continues to push for normalising handgun carrying and defending rights to own powerful firearms and high-capacity magazines.
Steve Naremore, CEO of Tuffypacks, which sells bulletproof backpacks, noted that business spikes after shootings. He supports a minimum age of 21 and a waiting period for gun purchases but added, “If someone is hell-bent on acquiring a gun they can get one.”
Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who once tweeted embarrassment that Texas was only second in new gun purchases, has not called for a special session on gun violence. He has blamed shootings on “hearts without God”, while Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick cited violent video games and lack of prayer in schools.
