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Mayor Turner adds voice to call for emergency special session addressing school safety, gun reform
22 days have passed since the Uvalde school shooting and here in Houston - leaders are scrambling to better protect local campuses. FOX 26's Greg Groogan is here to tell us about the two different paths with the same goal.
HOUSTON - With Houston ISD educators returning to campus in just 54 days,
Mayor Sylvester Turner is adding his voice to those calling for an emergency special session of the legislature to address school safety and gun reform.
MORE: Lawmakers debate need for special session in wake of Uvalde school shooting
A 27-year veteran of the Texas House, Mayor Turner says leaders should feel a sense of urgency given kids will be back in the classroom within nine weeks’ time.
"Increasing the age from 18 to 21 at the very minimum or increasing the wait time, those things you could do right now," said Turner. "There is a lot of support for red flag laws. You can do those things right now. It really doesn't make any sense to delay, to wait, and what if another event should occur at our schools in September, October November or December?"
RELATED: Gov. Greg Abbott calls for legislative hearing on mass shootings, excludes gun control as solution
It's an urgency clearly felt on the local level by Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey who Tuesday pushed through a rapidly deploying "Safe School Commission" aimed at identifying techniques, training and procedures to keep kids and campuses secure from potential attack.
"I think everyone is on high alert. We don't have time for a legislative session. School starts the second week in August and our schools want to be ready. We need to help them get ready," said Ramsey.
Ramsey set a hard deadline of August 1 for "Safe School" recommendations and believes Harris County can deliver funding, if needed, to help put new protections in place.