Bill Text: TX SCR8 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Declaring gun violence a public health crisis.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-11 - Referred to State Affairs [SCR8 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-SCR8-Introduced.html
| 87R4974 BPG-D | ||
| By: Blanco | S.C.R. No. 8 | |
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| WHEREAS, Gun violence in America is the leading cause of | ||
| death among children and teens and the 13th leading cause of death | ||
| among all ages; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Each year, more than 39,000 people in the United | ||
| States die as a result of gun violence, or about 109 every day, | ||
| according to the Centers for Disease Control National Center for | ||
| Injury Prevention and Control; tens of thousands more suffer gun | ||
| injuries that are nonfatal but too often prove life-changing; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In Texas, someone is killed with a gun every three | ||
| hours, and guns are the state's third-leading cause of death for | ||
| children aged 1 to 17; guns make domestic violence incidents far | ||
| more likely to end in fatalities, and more than 60 percent of | ||
| intimate partner homicides involve a firearm; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Guns are a significant danger to Texans suffering | ||
| from suicidal ideation; 60 percent of all suicides involve | ||
| firearms, and the percentage is even higher for veterans who commit | ||
| suicide; tragically, attempts of suicide by firearm in this country | ||
| result in death 85 percent of the time, compared to just three | ||
| percent for other methods, such as drug overdose; the vast majority | ||
| of people who survive an attempted suicide do not try again; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Capable of inflicting serious or deadly injuries on | ||
| many people in a short time, firearms have vast potential to amplify | ||
| violence; the nation saw 418 mass shootings in 2019 alone, | ||
| resulting in the deaths of more than 460 people and injury to over | ||
| 1,700; Texas has witnessed numerous such incidents in recent years, | ||
| including the 2017 Sutherland Springs church shooting, which | ||
| claimed 26 lives and left 20 people wounded; the next year, a | ||
| 17-year-old student killed 10 and injured 10 at Santa Fe High | ||
| School; 2019 brought even more devastation; in early August, a | ||
| gunman murdered 23 and wounded a further 23 at an El Paso Walmart, | ||
| and before the month was out, another shooter went on a rampage in | ||
| Midland-Odessa, murdering seven and injuring 25; and | ||
| WHEREAS, People who survive a firearm-related injury may | ||
| experience severe long-term consequences, ranging from paralysis | ||
| and other physical disabilities to problems with memory, thinking, | ||
| and emotions, as well as chronic mental health conditions such as | ||
| post-traumatic stress disorder; the effects of firearm violence | ||
| extend beyond victims and their families, and mass shooting | ||
| incidents can affect the sense of safety and security of entire | ||
| communities and impact everyday decisions; the National Center for | ||
| PTSD estimates that 28 percent of people who have witnessed a mass | ||
| shooting develop the illness, while about a third develop acute | ||
| stress disorder; incidents of mass violence have an enormous | ||
| behavioral health impact on most people, whether they are | ||
| survivors, witnesses, or exposed through mass media; moreover, | ||
| active shooter drills in schools, implemented widely in response to | ||
| mass shootings, are associated with increases in depression, | ||
| stress, anxiety, and physiological problems among students, their | ||
| teachers, and their parents; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The economic impact of firearm violence is | ||
| substantial as well; in 2015 alone, it cost the U.S. $229 billion; | ||
| gun violence imposes myriad burdens on society, including work | ||
| loss, medical and mental health care, emergency transportation, | ||
| police and criminal justice activities, insurance claims | ||
| processing, employer costs, and decreased quality of life; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Gun violence is not inevitable, as shown by other | ||
| wealthy nations with gun homicide rates vastly lower than ours; the | ||
| United States has a deeply rooted culture of gun violence that has | ||
| not received the same sustained, data-driven attention and | ||
| government investment as other public health problems, including | ||
| motor vehicle accidents and HIV/AIDS; in addressing those threats, | ||
| scientific research informed a comprehensive public health | ||
| response that dramatically shifted their trajectory; and | ||
| WHEREAS, The size, complexity, and grave social and economic | ||
| consequences of the gun violence epidemic demand a similarly | ||
| comprehensive, science-based approach; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas | ||
| hereby declare gun violence a public health crisis. | ||
