AUSTIN — Less than three months after the shooting at Santa Fe High School, leaders continue to grapple with how to keep our kids safe at school.
A Senate committee on the topic released its report on Monday. One of the ideas in it, "red flag" laws, seems to be losing momentum.
This has Nicole Golden feeling let downs.
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"We were disappointed to hear that Texas might be backpedaling," said Golden.
Golden is the head of the Austin chapter of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots effort started by stay-at-home moms after the Sandy Hook school shooting. She was disappointed after hearing Governor Greg Abbott saying support for red flag laws is fading.
"I would hope that our leaders here in Texas know that oftentimes mass shooters display warning signs ahead of time. So, if in a state where there was a red flag law and those signs were shown, something could be done and we could save lives," she said.
Red flag laws would allow authorities to take guns away from a person if a judge declares that person dangerous.
The Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Security did review red flag laws. The committee's conclusion was that the state didn't need them. Rather, lawmakers need to consider clarifying existing laws on whether someone convicted of domestic violence can have a firearm. And, lawmakers also need to consider new legislation on how to return guns to people who are no longer a risk to themselves or others.
So, with red flag laws looking unlikely, what's left of the Governor's safety plan? We asked the Texas Tribune's criminal justice reporter Jolie McCullough.
"Also look at protective orders that we have in the state right now and different mechanisms that we have right now to keep guns from people now, which a lot of the times involve mental illness and also domestic violence situations," MCCullough said.
Meantime, Golden said this recent disappointment in the group's fight for what she calls sensible gun laws is temporary.
"#keepgoing," she said.
Read the full report here. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's statement can be seen below: