Texas Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled his Texas Safety Action Report on Thursday, outlining his plans to improve public safety coordination and prevent future mass shootings.
“Solving the problems that have led to these horrific events will take more than governmental action,” the governor said in a press release.
Abbott issued eight executive orders last week, mainly focusing on improving law enforcement and the public’s ability to report persons seen as potentially dangerous.
The report came in response to the mass shooting last month in El Paso and was created after several meetings between Abbott’s Texas Safety Commission and community leaders, law enforcement officials and survivors of mass shootings among other groups.
The group studied the outbreak of recent mass shootings in Texas and developed policy strategies to prevent future tragedies.
Abbott said the real solution will go beyond “what is outlined” in the report and will take all Texans to move forward.
“It will require parents, families, churches, law enforcement, community groups, schools and others working together to fortify the social fabric of our society,” Abbott said in a press release. “Texans are at our best when we are tested.”
Abbott laid out his own policy directives on gun and public safety and made legislative suggestions for state lawmakers to take up next session. Some of his own directives included:
Additional Executive Actions Taken
- Accelerate the development and implementation of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s safe firearm storage campaign with $1 million in appropriations.
- Refresh procedural training for all licensed police officers in “emergency detention” situations.
- Expand law enforcement training offered through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University
. - Develop a public awareness campaign for the “Avoid, Deny, Defend” program.
Among other requests for the next legislative session, Abbott wants lawmakers to give private gun vendors easier access to background check information when selling to strangers. This is an effort to make it harder for those convicted of violent crimes to purchase guns after their release from prison.
The report also provides suggestions for safe firearm storage in homes and ways schools can work with parents to address student mental health.
Here is a link to the full Texas Safety Action Report.
