Texas lawmakers had bi-partisan support for new gun laws after the shooting at Santa Fe High School four years ago, but the gunman in Uvalde appears to have bought his weapons legally.
Following the deadly 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School near Houston where eight students and two teachers were fatally shot and thirteen others were wounded, Texas lawsmakers agreed to expanding access to mental health services and letting school districts add armed school Marshals.
Texas gun laws are looser than federal standards, so the Uvalde gunman would have had to follow federal laws in buying his weapons.
Texas DPS says the gunman bought his weapons from a federally licensed dealer, passing a background check showing no criminal history or gang affiliation.
Lawyer Richard Hayes is not involved in the Uvalde case but works with lawmakers on self-defense weapons law. Hayes says this case will lead to additional calls for action from both parties.
Hayes says, since the Uvalde gunman bought his weapons through licensed dealers, he would have had to pass background checks.
And if the Uvalde shooter had survived, Hayes says he would likely have pursued the same plea of insanity as the Santa Fe gunman. Hayes says many people may have noticed warning signs of the suspect, but no one took action.