Gun debate gets scant notice in hearings on Uvalde shooting

AUSTIN, TEXAS » The first public

hearings in Texas looking into the Uvalde school massacre have focused on a cascade of law enforcement blunders, school building safety and mental health care with only scant mentions of the shooter’s AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and gun reform.

A day after the head of the Texas state police called the law enforcement response to the May 24 slaughter an “abject failure,” Texas senators Wednesday turned their attention to mental health funding for schools and a shortage of counselors and mental health providers.

Only near the end of Wednesday’s hearing in the Texas Capitol was there much talk about gun laws. And little acknowledgement. The bungled response to the attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary has infuriated the nation, and a recent wave of deadly mass shootings has renewed a push for more gun laws.