Texas to Loosen Gun Laws After Shooting

A series of laws scheduled to take effect next month in Texas will make it easier to obtain firearms in a state known for already having loose restrictions on gun ownership.

The laws passed in the 86th Texas Legislature before a mass shooting in El Paso on Saturday claimed the lives of 22 victims, CNN reported.

The effect of the new legislation will be to loosen restrictions on the carrying of firearms in places of worship, school grounds and foster homes. It will also limit the state’s ability to charge Texas residents with a crime for carrying a handgun without a license while evacuating from a state or local disaster area.

MORE: El Paso Shooting Victim to Anti-Gun CNN Host: Man, I Wish My Mom Had Brought Her Revolver

In addition, House Bill 1387 will allow school districts to appoint more armed school marshals.

Gun control after El Paso

Not long after the El Paso shooting, politicians, pundits and media outlets rushed to explain the tragedy through the lens of their preferred political narratives.

One of the most prominent ideological conflicts to emerge is in the realm of firearms, and whether more or less restrictions on gun ownership are an appropriate response to mass shootings in America.

In the wake of El Paso liberals have revived their usual calls for increased gun control.

And conservatives, with a few notable exceptions, have been just as forceful in denying that stricter gun laws will completely solve the problem.

Each side has pointed to isolated cases to bolster their broader arguments.

MORE: Kansas City Woman Buys ‘Assault Rifle’ After Mass Shootings – Just So She Can Destroy It

For instance, conservatives have highlighted comments by Christopher Grant, a Texas man who survived the El Paso shooting and is being hailed as a hero for drawing the gunman’s fire by pelting him with bottles.

El Paso survivor to CNN from his hospital bed:

I wish my mother brought her revolver with her that day. pic.twitter.com/iXtcMwSQ6E

— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) August 6, 2019

During an interview on Monday with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, Grant lamented the fact that his mother did not have her firearm with her while the deadly attack was taking place.

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