Bills aim to keep guns out of little hands

The Texas Legislature is set to consider several bills dealing with firearm safety, including two senate bills regarding punishments for making firearms accessible to children (defined as being under age 17).

Senate Bill 158, filed by Sen. Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso), and SB 204, filed by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), are both designed to stiffen the penalties for failing to keep firearms out of children’s reach. The bills will make it a Class B misdemeanor to make firearms accessible to children — currently a Class C misdemeanor. If a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills themselves or another person, the punishment will be increased from the current Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony for the person who allowed the child access to the gun.

Texas Gun Sense reports that 199,570 children in Texas and 1.7 million children nationwide live in households with unlocked, loaded firearms.

Since 2015, statistics show, toddlers have shot people at a rate of about once a week nationwide. In October 2015, the Washington Post’s “Wonkblog” reported that news reports revealed that in at least 43 shootings that year, a toddler (age 3 or younger) had found a gun and shot someone. In 31 of those instances, the Post reported, the toddlers shot themselves. In May 2016, Fortune published an article reporting at least 23 shootings by toddlers in the first five months of the year. Seven of those were in Texas.

In September 2017, the Washington Post reported that about 43 people had been shot by a toddler that year. Of those, 27 involved self-inflicted injuries. Everytown for Gun Sense has reported that so far in 2018, there have been at least 185 accidental shootings by children (not all were toddlers.) Fifteen of those occurred in Texas; five of the Texas incidents were deadly.

Besides the bills increasing penalties for making firearms accessible to children, the Texas Legislature is poised to consider bills to encourage firearm safety. Huffman has filed SB 203, which would make certain gun safety equipment tax-free; Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) has proposed a similar bill that would include firearm safety manuals and other literature. In the Texas House, Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) has filed a bill to create a public awareness campaign regarding firearm safety and suicide prevention.

Firearm safety measures are part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s School and Firearm Safety Action Plan unveiled after the Santa Fe school shooting earlier this year. The plan includes strengthening the state’s firearm storage law and promoting awareness of safe firearm storage practices.