Texas governor shares plan to reduce school shootings

DALLAS — Texas Gov. Greg

Abbott on Wednesday called for schools to have more armed personnel and said they should put a bigger focus on spotting student mental health problems but he proposed only a few small restrictions on guns following a shooting at a high school near Houston that killed 10 and wounded 13.

The Republican and staunch gunrights supporter released a 43-page report following three days of mostly closed-door meetings last week that Abbott organized with school district officials, shooting survivors and groups on both sides of the gun-control debate, among others.

The recommendations are voluntary rather than mandatory, and some would require changes to state laws that would need approval from the Legislature, which doesn’t come back into session until 2019. School districts wishing to make some of the changes could begin doing so, such as sending staff for free gun training this summer.

The lack of major gun control measures is not surprising in a state that embraces its gun-friendly reputation and has more than 1.2 million people licensed to carry handguns.

The only significant gun-related proposal mentioned by Abbott for Texas was a possible “red flag” although, although he gave it only a tepid endorsement, asking leaders of the Legislature to “consider the merits” of such a law..

Abbott is proposing a change to the state law that says guns can’t be made accessible to children under 17, with exceptions such as hunting or parent supervision. He’s encouraging the Legislature to consider making the law also apply to 17-year-olds. Authorities have charged a 17-year-old student, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, with capital murder in the May 18 attack at Santa Fe High School. Pagourtzis is accused of using a shotgun and .38 revolver that belonged to his father.

Abbott also wants a new law that would require gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm within 10 days.