The Brief: Top Texas News for Dec. 18, 2012
The Big Conversation:
With the Newtown tragedy consuming the national political debate, Gov. Rick Perry on Monday joined the chorus of Texas voices calling for an expansion, not restriction, of gun rights.
In an at times emotional speech at a Tea Party event in North Richland Hills, Perry urged legislators to look at ways to improve safety at schools in Texas — where 78 districts have failed to meet safety standards — and to examine mental health issues.
But school districts should be allowed to decide their own gun policies, he said, drawing applause for alluding to Harrold Independent School District, which ...
Comments (28)
Jim Hsu via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This....from a man who can't remember the third answer, ladies and gentlemen.
Stephanie Garsee Jacob via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Like YOU would know the answer, Perry! Bahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
Cheryl El-Sabagh via Texas Tribune on Facebook
WE, the people, are Washington, Governor Perry.
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The only knee jerk reaction has been from the GOP nuts. Arm our teachers and make our schools a prison? Nope. That is not the answer. Here is a big part of the problem. http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/Mental-Health-Funding-in-Texas-183851011.html
Jim Hsu via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Perry, who believes a gun with laser sight is a necessary jogging accessory, is not competent to give any sound opinion on this topic.
Markus Kamp via Texas Tribune on Facebook
...or on any other topics.
Charlie Llewellin via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I'm so sorry for you intelligent Texas Tribune folks, having to write about these people as if they were sane.
Roy Ortega via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Exactly what I had predicted. Supporters of our gun culture like Perry believe that a week or two from now, the collective rage will wane and America will go back to accepting the right's total nonsense that more and bigger guns will make us all safer.
Robert Sheldon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Can we all work together to get a new Governor, one that is intelligent, thoughtful, uses logic, doesn't bring religion to the political table and is a leader and a uniter of us all. Texas is a good state, Texas right wing politicians are criminals.
Jill Meredith Bergene via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Unlike Perry himself, who has no reaction and does nothing....unless it's pushing emergency legislation to force women to submit to sonograms if seeking an abortion.
Russ Pate via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Perry has no common sense and no heart. He just lives in a fantasy world.
Joe Estep via Texas Tribune on Facebook
How would armed guards and restricting entry to those who have business in the schools make them prisons? Ft. Bend used to have cops at the schools; to keep an eye on the punks enrolled there but guess they could protect the kids as well. Those of you that think laws against guns are going to change this ...will you be waiting up to catch a glimpse of Santa next week? Evil and the insane do not care what the laws say. Look over the Rio Grande.
Frank Kenisky via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I do hope Rick Perry stand behind this statement and works to pass a law that you can carry concealed hand guns everywhere. Because when this happens that a gun man or two walk into a crowed area and start taking pot shots at people and those with hand guns only help them kill more people I do hope that the real person who helped to create this problem comes forward and is put in jail for being a complete idiot.
Robert Sheldon via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Joe, even the NRA says we need to make some gun law changes and they have for some time now. The West was won a long time ago, whatever that means. The 2cnd amendment is not being threatened and gun control doesn't mean guns are being taken away from anyone.
Jill Meredith Bergene via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Another word salad from our governor.
Scott Chase via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Of course, Perry won't offer any solution to violence. Allowing guns everywhere will not lessen violence and certainly won't make most of us feel any safer.
Bambi Clark via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Yes Perry let's go back to strapping on our holsters. smh
Joe Estep via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Robert that's nice. Has nothing to do with what I said....but it is nice all the same.
Diane Holloway via Texas Tribune on Facebook
To call the massacre of 20 little children and six adults "an event" is belittling, disrespectful and just plain wrong on so many levels.
John Ballard via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I have no idea who "they" might be but I see many experts on C-SPAN with plenty of savvy getting beat up by elected representatives with political agendas.
Among the worst fictions of the current discussion is the meaningless suggestions regarding "background checks." No meaningful "check" is even possible without a database of gun owners and under current law that will never exist.
Why?
Thank the NRA which brags that....
"No funds may be used to create, maintain or administer a database of firearms owners or their firearms."
That group may have pulled their FB and Twitter accounts for the moment, but make no mistake about it, they are as tough as kudzu vines in a Georgia field.
The NRA is like a turtles which pulls into its shells when threatened. There is a reason that turtles survived whatever killed out dinosaurs.
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=7180
Nancy Fahy via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Ironic coming from Perry. Diane - you are right on - again Perry misses the point.
Susan Parker Mitchell via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I live in Tx and this idiot does nothing for our state, so do not understand how he got reelected.
Wally Parnel via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Perry mouth is alway full of macho nouns and clever verbs, yet the content is always the same. Cruel, stupid, senseless, and childlike, is Rick Perry. The state really missed out on all the positve things, Bill White could be doing to make Texas great again, and respected.
TrueTexas
Actually, Perry did give two very sound suggestions for reducing violence for those of you who can’t read. (Or only want to gripe about Perry). He said look to ways to improve school safety and examine mental health issues.
Cindy Salinas Green via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The NRA lost a lot of leverage when it spent LOTS of $$$, as did every other billionaire business, on a Romney Presidency and LOST. The American people want it, as well as more than half of NRA members want tighter gun laws. As usual, Perry on the wrong side of the issues that matter to most Americans.
JC DemocratofTejas
Naturally Mr. Paid-For, Bought & Sold by anyone with a buck rick perry would be against gun restrictions. OMG, "an expansion of gun rights" puts ricki in the NRA pocket and there is absolutely nothing rick wouldn't do for a $. Rick is the poster child for the need for more mental health services. He is disgusting, shameful, and the world gets to see it all here in the State of Texas. "Tea Party event in North Richland Hills" no doubt. The center of that void with the void at the center. Am I paying for him to go to tea parties? This is a man unmoved by the death of elementary school children, teachers, and the principal. Truly can't get any lower that rick perry!
Jim Wier via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It's amazing how the massacre in Newtown isn't having a lot of resonance in Texas.
Bill Asher
Perry is a national embarrassment.