Tag Archives: gun control

What were Uvalde police actually doing at Robb Elementary?

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll say it again: The more we learn about the law enforcement response to the Uvalde massacre, the worse it looks. Surveillance footage shows that police never tried to open a door to two classrooms at Robb Elementary School in … Continue reading →

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So how’s that bipartisan agreement on a framework for a gun control deal going?

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s check in. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn arrived at the Texas GOP convention in Houston Friday to address his role as chief negotiator for a bipartisan gun package head on — and was promptly booed for it. “No gun control!” … Continue reading →

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There’s a lot of resistance to releasing information about Uvalde

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The City of Uvalde and its police department are working with a private law firm to prevent the release of nearly any record related to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in which 19 children and two teachers … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Abbott 48, Beto 43

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A lot closer than their previous poll, from December. In the race for Texas governor, 48 percent of voters support Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, while 43 percent support Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of … Continue reading →

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What was DPS doing during the Uvalde massacre?

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not much, it would seem. As many as 13 troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety waited in a hallway at one point during a gunman’s rampage that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in … Continue reading →

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March For Our Lives

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure would like to think that all this activist energy means that things are different this time. Hundreds of Houstonians gathered near City Hall in downtown Saturday for the student-led March for Our Lives, one of dozens of events … Continue reading →

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Running the Sandy Hook playbook against the Uvalde gun manufacturer

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sincerely hope it works. Will the attorney who won a $73 million settlement from Remington for nine Sandy Hook families use the same playbook in his legal dealings with the company that made the AR-15-style rifle used in the … Continue reading →

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Uvalde’s police chief speaks

Posted on June 11, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll reserve judgment for now. Only a locked classroom door stood between Pete Arredondo and a chance to bring down the gunman. It was sturdily built with a steel jamb, impossible to kick in. He wanted a key. One goddamn … Continue reading →

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Justice Department starts its review of the Uvalde law enforcement response

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what they turn up. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the Department of Justice’s investigation into the law enforcement response to the elementary school shooting in Uvalde won’t be criminal in nature. Garland described the federal … Continue reading →

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McConaughey opines for gun control

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad. I believe that responsible, law-abiding Americans have a Second Amendment right, enshrined by our founders, to bear arms. I also believe we have a cultural obligation to take steps toward slowing down the senseless killing of our children. … Continue reading →

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We’ve seen this movie before

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but I know how this ends. Major Republican donors, including some that have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns, joined other conservative Texans in signing an open letter supporting congressional action to increase gun restrictions in … Continue reading →

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If committees are all we’re going to get, then let’s get something from the committees

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much to ask, I hope. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday announced the creation of a legislative committee to investigate the Uvalde shooting. “The fact we still do not have an accurate picture of what exactly happened … Continue reading →

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Get ready for the Uvalde gun lawsuits

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if they can get anywhere. A teacher at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde has filed paperwork indicating she intends to sue the gun manufacturer who made the assault-style rifle the gunman used to massacre 19 children and two teachers. Don Flanary, a lawyer … Continue reading →

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Social media monitoring is not a solution to school shootings

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

While current Republican “solutions” for gun violence include door control and arming teachers, one “solution” that has been in place for the past few years has been monitoring social media for signs of gun-related threats. That was in place in … Continue reading →

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The very least Greg Abbott could do

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You can always count on him for that. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called on the Texas Legislature to form special committees to make legislative recommendations in response to the Uvalde school shooting. In a letter to House Speaker Dade … Continue reading →

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The entire law enforcement response in Uvalde is messed up

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What is going on here? The official response to the mass shooting at an Uvalde elementary school — a response already marred by shifting narratives, finger-pointing and a general lack of timely and accurate information — took a further turn … Continue reading →

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It’s called “talking out of both sides of your mouth”

Posted on June 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an old and effective trick, but that doesn’t mean it has to work. For a moment Friday afternoon, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was in two places at once. At about 3:30, the National Rifle Association played videotaped remarks from … Continue reading →

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Justice Department to review what happened with Uvalde police

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. The U.S. Department of Justice will review the law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school massacre as local police face intense scrutiny for not acting quickly enough to confront the shooter. “The goal of the review is to provide … Continue reading →

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Please don’t ever talk to me about “a good guy with a gun” or “hardening the schools” again

Posted on May 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The police were there but did nothing. A gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at a South Texas elementary school walked unopposed onto school grounds, state law enforcement officials said Thursday — and once he was inside, it … Continue reading →

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Uvalde

Posted on May 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have anything clever or original to say about the horrible tragedy in Uvalde. There’s a vast amount of stories and heartbreaking photos out there, so go and look to the extent that your heart and mental health can … Continue reading →

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The Killeen Luby’s mass shooting, 30 years later

Posted on January 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Observer takes a trip down memory lane. The man and his weapons were both from out of town. That’s one of the first things many Killeen residents, both past and present, will remind you: He wasn’t one of … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Permitless carry and total abortion bans are not popular in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More Q-poll data. One week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law allowing Texans to carry unlicensed handguns, voters say 74 – 24 percent that they oppose allowing anyone 21 years of age or older to carry … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry passes

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice to dream for a minute that the Republicans would fumble the ball short of the goal line on this, but it was never realistic. A bill to allow the permitless carrying of handguns in Texas is on … Continue reading →

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The 2022 primary target list

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re likely to see a significant number of primary challenges in 2022, in all districted offices. That’s partly because 2022 is a post-redistricting year, and with boundaries being shuffled there are always new opportunities for people who find themselves in … Continue reading →

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Might permitless carry actually fail?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t want to allow myself to hope, but there are some sticking points, and apparently some hard lines being drawn. Both the Texas House and Senate have agreed in large part to the concept of so-called “constitutional carry” legislation … Continue reading →

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House rejects Senate changes to permitless carry bill

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Off to conference committee they go. The Texas House on Wednesday rejected changes the Senate made to a Republican-backed proposal to allow Texans to carry handguns without a license, sending the bill behind closed doors for further negotiations. Before the … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry passes the Senate

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t really think this was going to fail, did we? The Republican-led effort to allow Texans to carry handguns without any kind of license cleared what is likely its biggest remaining hurdle in the Capitol on Wednesday, when the … Continue reading →

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Trib polling roundup, part 2

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The issues polling is mostly on our side, for what that’s worth. A solid majority of Texas voters don’t think adults should be allowed to carry handguns in public places without permits or licenses, though the idea is popular with … Continue reading →

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More interesting questions from that Matthew McConaughey poll

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s try this again. By 58% to 26%, Texans oppose a bill the House approved — and sent to the Senate Friday — that would allow people to carry handguns without a permit. Last month, opposition was greater — 64% … Continue reading →

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More business pushback on more anti-LGBTQ+ bills

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like deja vu all over again. Texas business leaders Monday condemned a slate of anti-LGBTQ bills winding through the Texas Legislature as harmful to Texans and as a threat to the state’s economy, which is still reeling from the … Continue reading →

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The Senate is an obstacle to permitless carry

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A small bit of hope. Don’t rely on it too heavily. While a bill to allow most people to carry a handgun without a license sailed through the Texas House, it now faces a Texas Senate where the leader, Lt. … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I had a hard time coming up with anything to say about the Lege passing a bill to allow anyone in Texas to carry a gun, no permit or education or license or anything else required. What is there to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Endorsement watch: The Susan Collins of Texas

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Three things in life are certain: Death, taxes, and certain Chron endorsements. The voters in state House District 134 — a swing district that covers all or parts of River Oaks, Bellaire and Meyerland and includes the Texas Medical Center … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over gun sign law

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting. A church in Clear Lake and a coffeeshop in the Heights are challenging a Texas law that dictates how no-gun signs are displayed. Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church and Antidote Coffee allege the signs private properties need … Continue reading →

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