A bill that would raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles has been left off the Texas House’s agenda ahead of a key deadline.
For weeks, gun control advocates and families of Uvalde shooting victims have been pushing for Texas lawmakers to take House Bill 2744 up for a floor debate and vote. The bill would raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.
In an unexpected move Monday, a House committee advanced the legislation in an 8-5 vote that included two Republicans voting for it.
The final day the House can pass bills is Thursday. According to the Texas Tribune, the chamber’s agenda must be approved 36 hours ahead of when they convene, which created a deadline of around 10 p.m. Tuesday for the measure to be placed on the calendar.
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In a series of tweets, parents of children killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last year pledged their fight was not over.
“This isn’t over. We will regroup, re-strategize and come back stronger. [Reps] Ryan Guillen, Dustin Burrows, Dade Phelan, Texans see you and they won’t forget. It’s my personal mission to travel to your districts and share Lexi’s story, and the disrespect shown to Uvalde families,” tweeted Kim Rubio, mother of Lexi Rubio.
The proposal has long faced an uphill battle in a state that has regularly loosened gun restrictions in recent years. Gov. Greg Abbott has questioned whether the bill was constitutional.
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NBC 5 reached out to a spokesperson for Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock who chairs the House Calendars committee for a comment late Tuesday night. We have not heard back as of this writing.
