Alan Lobaugh, action team leader, demonstrating against the NRA, Dallas, May 18, 2024.
Alan Lobaugh, action team leader, demonstrating against the NRA, Dallas, May 18, 2024.
Our action team has about 85 people on our distribution list. The team meets in person each month during the school year. Our meetings feature speakers who share information about things like Texas gun laws, current court cases, and gang activity in Tarrant County.
We have a presence on Facebook and Instagram with a member who is dedicated to managing those accounts for us.
Contact our action team leader, Alan Lobaugh, for more information.
Our team advocates to reduce gun violence and promote gun safety. We take actions focused on the enactment of gun safety laws in the state of Texas, and we support the voluntary buyback of firearms, especially those designed for mass killings.
Here are some facts we want you to know about the weak gun laws in Texas:
The state does not require a person to pass a criminal background check before purchasing a firearm from an unlicensed seller.
In 2021, the state eliminated the requirement that a person obtain a permit before carrying concealed handguns in public.
Texas also allows people with carry licenses to carry concealed firearms on college and university campuses.
Texas even allows some staff and teachers to carry firearms in K-12 schools.
We have no waiting period to purchase a gun.
Texas does not require training in order to purchase a gun.
Texas has no law restricting large capacity ammunition magazines. The federal ban on high-capacity magazines expired in 2004.
We have no “Red Flag” law or firearm relinquishment order for mental health issues (Extremist Protection Orders). Texas has a law prohibiting the purchase and/or ownership of a gun when under a restraining order, but it is unclear whether someone is authorized to take any guns away from such people.
Non “registered” gun sellers may sell guns at a gun show without requiring a background check.
And we note that in Texas citizens do not have the power to initiate statewide initiatives or referendums. Voters rejected a constitutional amendment to provide for the initiative and referendum process in 1914.
Our Reducing Gun Violence action team has a lot of work to do. But lots of things are in our favor, including these two points which keep us energized:
We are committed to working with other groups in Tarrant County who share our goals and to amplifying the work they are already doing. We are in this together and the more people who join this movement, the faster we'll make a difference.
We believe deeply in this advocacy work. We've seen too much to simply throw up our hands in resignation, and we're confident that our combined energies will turn the tide.
Our action team accomplished a lot in 2024. Read the highlights HERE.
The Reducing Gun Violence action team strives to:
Educate as many people as possible about the dangers of guns in our community
Advocate for funding of community programs that will give young people an alternative to gun violence
Provide a public witness to call attention to the gun violence epidemic
Support legislative candidates who will work for gun safety legislation
Our team's specific goals for 2025 are HERE.