Gun safety advocates see signs of progress in first session after Uvalde shooting even though raise-the-age bill stalled

Siblings of Xavier Lopez play quietly while the families of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting gather to attend a press conference held by state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 24. (Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune)

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From the outset of this year’s legislative session, Democratic state Sen. Roland Gutierrez knew his attempts to restrict young adults’ access to semi-automatic rifles faced long odds in a GOP-controlled Legislature that’s spent years loosening gun restrictions in the face of continued mass shootings.