Any public misstep in responding to the massacre could hurt the Texas Republican’s...
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott with other officials, holds a news conference to provide updates on the Uvalde elementary school shooting, at Uvalde High School in Uvalde, Texas, on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.In the three weeks since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school, Gov. Greg Abbott has declined to use the power of his office to call a special session, form commissions or issue executive orders to address school safety or gun violence.
This time is different, experts say. Abbott has passed off much of the public response to the state Legislature, Texas Education Agency and Department of Public Safety, among other entities. His most direct action has been the issuance of a disaster declaration in Uvalde County, which accelerates the state’s ability to direct funding and resources to the region.
Like other Republicans at both the state and national level, Abbott has heavily focused on school safety and mental health, rather than potential firearm restrictions. It’s also an election year, and Abbott is seeking a third term in Texas’ top post. He will face Democrat Beto O’Rourke, the former U.S. congressman from El Paso, this November — and a misstep in the Uvalde shooting response on either side of the aisle could hurt his re-election chances, political observers say.
And on Tuesday, Abbott urged the Texas District and County Attorneys Association to advertise a recently enacted state law making it a felony to lie on a firearm background check.
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