Lawmakers in Fort Bend County hold town hall discussing gun laws

MISSOURI CITY, Texas - Lawmakers in Fort Bend County held a town hall Thursday evening to discuss Texas gun laws.

At the town hall, State Representative Ron Reynolds told the audience he wants Governor Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session following the school shooting in Uvalde.

RELATED: Texas House kicks off inquiry into Uvalde shooting behind closed doors

"Gun reform has to happen," Reynolds told the crowd. "We want legislation passed raising the age to 21 for people buying an AR-15. We want to close the gun show loophole."

In 2021, Reynolds drafted House Bill 52 that would have required gun shows to do background checks for purchases. The bill did not pass committee.

Reynolds says he is hopeful new laws could make it harder for irresponsible people to purchase guns in Texas. According to the state representative, he would like to see universal background checks, red-flag laws, and he wants to raise the legal age to buy an AR-15 from 18 to 21 years-old.

"We need to raise the age from 18 to 21, because we did it for cigarette purchases," said Reynolds. "We’re trying to reduce it. This is not going to be a magic wand that ends it all. The shooter in Uvalde was 18-years old. He legally purchased the AR-15. All we’re trying to do is reduce it."

RELATED: Families of Uvalde, Buffalo victims and survivors testify in Congress

Throughout the last two weeks, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced a desire to strengthen security at schools. 

"I directed the Texas Education Agency to create a Chief of School Safety & Security," tweeted Abbott Thursday. "The Chief will ensure that Texas schools are implementing school safety policies and ensure that schools are using best practices to safeguard against school shootings or other dangers."

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So far, Abbott has not announced any plans for a special legislative session.