Tag Archives: gun control

Hegar targets open carry

Posted on September 16, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m all in for this. Former Air Force pilot MJ Hegar, a Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, is calling for an end to open carry. The issue has never attracted the same sort of urgency from gun safety … Continue reading →

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PPP/Giffords: Trump 48, Biden 47

Posted on September 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From Evan Smith: New @ppppolls poll in Texas: @realDonaldTrump 48 @joebiden 47 @JohnCornyn 44 @mjhegar 40 https://giffords.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TexasResults1.pdf #txlege #txsen #tx2020 — EvanSmith (@evanasmith) 3:18 PM – 08 September 2020 I could not find a news story, press release, or even … Continue reading →

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Latino voter engagement 2020

Posted on August 12, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We have a poll for that. Latinos in Texas say they are much more motivated to vote this November than they were in 2016, with gun safety being a big factor after the shooting in El Paso a year ago, … Continue reading →

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Here comes Everytown

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it. Gun safety groups planning to spend millions to turn Texas blue this year are rolling out their first round of ads, which say COVID-19 isn’t the only public health crisis facing the state. Everytown for Gun Safety, the … Continue reading →

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The gun safety fight is coming

Posted on April 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Bring it on. As the coronavirus outbreak ravages fundraising efforts by political campaigns across Texas, the political affiliate of one of the country’s oldest gun violence prevention groups is bringing reinforcements to the state, where it sees Democrats’ efforts to … Continue reading →

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Of course he thinks that’s “essential”

Posted on March 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Doesn’t get any more on-brand than this. Gun stores are essential business and should be allowed to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Friday. Paxton said in his nonbinding opinion that state law prevents … Continue reading →

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No metal detectors at HISD schools

Posted on February 15, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. Houston ISD trustees shelved a request from administrators Thursday to authorize up to $3 million for metal detectors, arguing district officials need to provide more concrete recommendations and plans for school security before the board votes … Continue reading →

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HISD considers metal detectors

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s (maybe) come to this. Houston ISD officials are exploring the idea of installing metal detectors at the district’s middle and high schools in response to last week’s fatal on-campus shooting of a student, a step few districts in the … Continue reading →

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Harris County’s gun surrender program

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just common sense. Harris County officials on Tuesday announced four measures aimed at curbing gun violence, which County Judge Lina Hidalgo said are necessary because the state and federal governments have missed opportunities to prevent shootings. Hidalgo secured unanimous approval … Continue reading →

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What kind of laws might have helped mitigate our recent violent incidents?

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The DMN asks a good question. Texas politicians are looking anew at ways to reduce gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa. Dozens of policies, from the piecemeal to the comprehensive, have … Continue reading →

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Ronald Haskell convicted

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but nothing can undo the damage he did. Cassidy Stay, the lone survivor of a 2014 shooting that killed her mother, father and four younger siblings, folded her hands in prayer inside a courtroom while awaiting a verdict. The … Continue reading →

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UT-Tyler: Trump still looks weak in Texas

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Two months later, there may be a story line to watch. Beto O’Rourke remains competitive against President Donald Trump in a Texas head-to-head matchup, according to a poll released Thursday by the Center for Opinion Research at the University of … Continue reading →

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Everybody hates Dan

Posted on September 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You just hate to see it. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is doubling down on his call for closing loopholes in gun sales background checks despite withering criticism from other Republicans, conservative groups that have ardently supported him, and the … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan fighting is the sweetest sound you will ever hear

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Inject this directly into my veins. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Michael Quinn Sullivan, a hardline conservative activist long aligned with the head of the Texas Senate, publicly accused each other of “destroying” the Republican Party on Tuesday — seeming … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s gun suggestions

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Weak leader makes timid proposals. Film at 11. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Texas Legislature to consider laws that would make it easier for private gun sellers to perform voluntary background checks on buyers — declining to go as … Continue reading →

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Red flag

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This seems like maybe it’s a problem. A report out Wednesday by the San Antonio Express-News found that a gun owner in Texas had sent more than 100 pages of racist and violent letters to the Texas Attorney General’s office … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’s “willing to take an arrow” and defy the National Rifle Association by pressing Texas to close one loophole in gun-purchaser background checks. On Friday, Patrick said it’s “common sense” to tighten … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott is not going to take action on gun violence

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Why would he? It’s not who he is. When Gov. Greg Abbott first convened the new Texas Safety Commission last month after the El Paso shooting, he brought with him a stack of papers and wasted little time directing the … Continue reading →

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The Lege will not take any action on guns

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

By all means, keep calling for a special session to address the issue. Just do keep in mind who holds all the cards. At least 17 Texas state lawmakers are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to … Continue reading →

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“Mistakes were made”

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday that “mistakes were made” in his fundraising letter that used alarmist language in calling to “DEFEND” the Texas border and was dated one day before a deadly shooting that targeted Hispanics in El Paso. … Continue reading →

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The harder question

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This story just upsets me so much. After a man posing as a FedEx deliveryman forced his way into her family’s house and fatally shot her parents and four siblings, 15-year-old Cassidy Stay played dead until the killer fled the … Continue reading →

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Is there anything Houston can do about gun violence?

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not much, unfortunately. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday said he wants state lawmakers to give cities and counties more flexibility to address gun violence in response to mass shootings this month that killed 31 people, including 22 in El Paso. … Continue reading →

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By the way, Trump is also a deadbeat

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s his brand. President Donald Trump publicly pledged “all the support of the federal government” on Saturday after 22 people were shot to death in an El Paso Walmart this weekend. But his statements are prompting charges of hypocrisy because the … Continue reading →

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I don’t have anything to say this morning

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Twenty people murdered in El Paso by a racist piece of shit. Just families, out shopping for back to school supplies. You’re not safe anywhere from an asshole with an automatic weapon and a manifesto. I grew up in a … Continue reading →

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The Lege versus the polls

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are reasons for this. Politicians are often said to be chasing the polls, but sometimes they run the other way. According to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, at least two issues popular with a majority of Republican … Continue reading →

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Let no horrific tragedy go unexploited

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Barf. Security companies spent years pushing schools to buy more products — from “ballistic attack-resistant” doors to smoke cannons that spew haze from ceilings to confuse a shooter. But sales were slow, and industry’s campaign to free up taxpayer money … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Fifth Circuit upholds dismissal of campus carry lawsuit

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not a surprise. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld Texas’ campus carry law, delivering another clear victory to the state in a longshot, long-running lawsuit brought by University of Texas at Austin professors opposed to the … Continue reading →

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Santa Fe ISD to install metal detectors

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

If that’s what they want… Metal detectors will be installed in all four of Santa Fe ISD’s campuses after its Board of Trustees voted to accept at least 16 devices that had been donated by two private companies and Lt. … Continue reading →

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Campus carry at the Fifth Circuit

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if this gets a better reception than it got at the lower court. Two years ago, three University of Texas at Austin professors — Jennifer Lynn Glass, Lisa Moore and Mia Carter — filed a lawsuit against state … Continue reading →

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Metal detectors

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re like magic. More than a month after a deadly shooting at Santa Fe High School left 10 dead and 13 injured, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is taking steps to tighten security in the southeast Texas school district, part of … Continue reading →

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Health care needs to be a twofer

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Lt. Governor candidate Mike Collier is on the right track here, but he needs to keep going. Lieutenant governor hopeful Mike Collier announced his health care reform plan Tuesday, which aims to reduce costs and increase access to health care … Continue reading →

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Who watches the anonymous tipsters?

Posted on June 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Am I the only one who sees the potential for problems with this? Want a safe way to anonymously report suspicious activity at your neighborhood school to prevent a potential school shooting? There’s an app for that. In light of … Continue reading →

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Senate considers mostly symbolic ideas on school safety

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Once again, see if you can tell what’s missing from this discussion. Nearly three weeks after a shooter killed 10 people at a high school southeast of Houston, lawmakers gathered at the Texas Capitol on Monday to discuss new school … Continue reading →

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The problem with more cops in schools

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t had anything to say so far about Greg Abbott’s proposed responses to the Santa Fe school shooting. There isn’t much to say about it – these are a bunch of small changes around the margins, all while scrupulously … Continue reading →

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