Three people, including a 4-year-old child, were killed last week in a North Austin shopping center, in a state where the Legislature has repeatedly rolled back gun safety laws. As Austin-area residents, we know how close to home these tragedies hit. One of us was at that very same shopping center a few days earlier, enjoying dinner with family.
The early information about this random shooting is deeply troubling. According to Austin police, the suspect had a history of mental health issues, allegations of family violence, and prior instances of being placed in emergency holds during mental health crises. Tragically, Texas law makes it incredibly difficult to temporarily remove firearms from a person with a documented dangerous history like this.
One measure that could help is an Extreme Risk Protection Order law, also known as a red flag law, that would temporarily remove firearms from people shown to pose an immediate lethal risk to themselves or others. These laws are already working in 21 states and Washington, D.C., and polling shows 88% of Texans support the idea.
Despite this, Texas lawmakers continue to move in the opposite direction. In this year's regular session, the Legislature passed an anti-red flag law that hampers the ability of families and law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from people showing signs of dangerous behavior. The bill goes one step further: It bans enforcement of out-of-state extreme risk protection orders.
Imagine this scenario: A dangerous person makes threats of mass violence in New Mexico. Law enforcement petitions for an extreme risk protection order and the court grants it. That person has their firearms removed and is not able to buy new ones. But with a red flag law ban in Texas, this person could come into our state, buy a gun and kill innocent people.
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Research shows red flag laws are associated with lower rates of firearm suicides and can prevent mass shootings like this one. Instead of embracing evidence-based safety measures, Texas is making it harder to prevent scenarios like this in the future.
Texas has passed more than 100 bills since 2000 weakening firearm regulations. This year, proposals to lower the handgun carrying age, permit felons to possess firearms, allow guns in sensitive places like schools, hospitals and polling places, and prohibit event organizers from banning guns on their premises were all debated in earnest. The consequences of these dangerous policies would be felt in every community across our state.
Gutting gun laws does not make communities safer. Instead, it increases the risk of firearms falling into the wrong hands or being used impulsively during moments of crisis.
We know that early intervention is critical. By temporarily removing guns from people posing a threat to themselves or others, red flag laws are already saving lives across the country. Texas’ move to restrict these tools in the face of repeated tragedy is not only baffling, it is dangerous.
Our community deserves safer streets, schools and shopping centers where families can gather without fear. We can’t wait to lose another Texan — a grandfather, a child, a friend — before taking meaningful action. It is time for Texas to stop dismantling gun regulations and start embracing responsible common-sense policies that save lives, including fully supporting red flag laws like those Texas lawmakers are currently resisting. Without these changes, tragedies like the North Austin shooting will continue to haunt us.
Nicole Golden is the executive director of Texas Gun Sense. Silvia Villarreal is the director of research and translation at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
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