Days after his 18th birthday in May, a high school dropout bought and then used an AR-15-style rifle to slaughter 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde. The massacre reinforced a desire by a majority of Texans to raise the age for purchasing rifles, a sensible gun safety measure that we also support.
There is no doubt that banning the sale of military-style weapons to people under age 21 will take political will. Gov. Greg Abbott indicated this week that he is not bold enough to pursue such a law, even as most Texans would support it.
“It is clear that the gun control law that they are seeking in Uvalde, as much as they may want it, has already been ruled to be unconstitutional,” Abbott told reporters on Wednesday.
