Texas Democrats Rally to Keep Guns from Law Abiding Americans

AUSTIN, Texas – Ahead of a scheduled committee hearing in the Texas House of Representatives to Tuesday on Rep. Tracy King’s H.B. 2744, or the #RaiseTheAge Act, Texas Democrats are urging all Texans to call their Representatives and urge them to vote YES on raising the minimum age to buy an 'assault' rifle in Texas from 18 to 21. 

Democrats, and the proposed law, define an 'assault' rifle as every semiautomatic rifle that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine and that has a caliber greater than .22.  

“When the tragedy in Uvalde occurred last year, I heard loud and clear what the families had to say: that an 18-year-old should never have been able to even get his hands on an AR-15 in the first place – and that this needs to change,” said Rep. Tracy King, author of the #RaiseTheAge Act. “We need to protect Texas children and raise the age to buy an 'assault' rifle in our state."

“There are some pieces of legislation that are so common-sense that it’s shameful we must even need to vouch for them – and this is one of those,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. “Any responsible individual who’s handled an AR-15 will tell you that it’s among the most deadly weapons that a person can get their hands on, and that 18-year-olds – high-school-aged kids – have no place near them. It’s ludicrous that in our great state, someone can legally buy an 'assault' rifle years before they’re even allowed to purchase a can of beer. Let’s heed the desperate pleas of the families of Uvalde and get this damn law passed before another Uvalde happens on our watch. Call your Representative and tell them to vote YES on H.B. 2744.”

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT H.B. 2744:

Texas Democrats are urging all Texans to call their Representatives – in particular, the Members of the House Select Committee on Community Safety – and respectfully urge them to vote YES on H.B. 2744. H.B. 2744 will be heard tomorrow by the Committee. 

H.B. 2744, or the #RaiseTheAge Act, would raise the minimum age in Texas to buy an 'assault' rifle – that is, a semiautomatic rifle that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine and that has a caliber greater than .22 – from 18 to 21 years old. 

AR-15-style rifles, along with other types of long guns, would fall within these defined parameters. 

The #RaiseTheAge Act was authored by Rep. Tracy King, whose district includes Uvalde – the home of Robb Elementary, where, nearly a year ago, an 18-year-old armed with an AR-15 slaughtered 19 young children and two teachers, and wounded 22 others.