HOUSTON — It’s becoming an all too familiar tragedy for Texans. After Sutherland Springs, Santa Fe, El Paso and Uvalde, what will change?
Sen. Roland Gutierrez spoke Thursday outside the growing memorial for the 21 lives lost at Robb Elementary.
“The political answer is change ... a two-digit answer from 18 to 21," he said.
It’s a move Florida made after Parkland. The state raised the age to buy a firearm to 21. It was done with a Republican governor and a GOP-led legislature, similar to Texas.
“I definitely think it’s a fair comparison. Very similar states, very similar political make-up," political strategist Charles Blain said.
However, Blain said passing similar legislation in Texas will be an uphill battle. Though, he does say the law passed in Florida didn’t have the fallout expected.
“They got a lot of pushback from the NRA and one of the questions was the lawmakers who supported it, who carried the bill, were they going to face repercussions? And they didn’t, they succeeded in their electoral fight," Blain said.
In Texas, the approach has often been to spend money on hardening schools and mental health.
Taking much of the attention now, the questions surrounding the police response in Uvalde and conflicting information released on the investigation.
“Rather than focus on legislative issues right now, they are focused on what went wrong and when we can get answers to what actually happened," Blain said.