Relive the year in Texas politics and policy through the Tribune’s video coverage of the 85th Legislature, Hurricane Harvey, the deadly shooting in Sutherland Springs, the controversy over Confederate monuments and more.
guns In Texas
Posted inState Government
Paxton: Texans can bring guns to church unless church says otherwise
Attorney General Ken Paxton has clarified that licensed handgun owners can bring their weapons to church as long as the church does not say otherwise — a question raised after the deadly church shooting last month in Sutherland Springs.
Posted inState Government
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Texas churches need to know they can have guns
Patrick requested that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issue an opinion on guns in church. The lieutenant governor said he hopes more churches will know they have the option to have guns in their buildings.
Posted inState Government
After Sutherland Springs shooting, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn files bill on background checks
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced the release of bipartisan legislation Thursday aimed at strengthening the federal background check database following the recent mass shooting in Sutherland Springs.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: The gun debate lets government off the hook after every mass shooting
Given their intractable positions over gun laws, government officials are as powerless in the face of mass shootings as they are in the aftermaths of tornados or hurricanes. Unable to prevent them, they can only react in horror and sorrow.
Posted inState Government
Will Texas massacre finally push the military to improve its criminal reporting system?
The Air Force failed to report Devin Kelley’s domestic violence conviction to a federal database, which allowed him to buy guns before the massacre in a Sutherland Springs church. That failure has been a problem for years.
Posted inState Government
Recently passed Texas law allows for armed volunteer security at churches
A state law put into effect in September made it legal for houses of worship to have armed volunteer security — but the law’s author says many churches in Texas don’t know it’s an option.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Air Force: Shooter who killed 26 in Texas church should not have been allowed to buy guns
The Air Force has released a statement that it failed to report Devin Kelley’s domestic violence conviction to a national database used to screen firearms buyers.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
For Sutherland Springs residents, mass shootings seemed a world away — before Sunday
Mass shootings have become common throughout the nation, but when a community of only about 650 people lost 26 in one event Sunday morning, everyone in Sutherland Springs was impacted.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
At least 26 dead after worst mass shooting in Texas history at San Antonio-area church
A lone gunman killed at least 26 people and injured many more at a church in Sutherland Springs. The tiny town was left reeling from the deadliest shooting at a place of worship in American history.
