A majority of voters, including almost half of Republicans, don’t believe elected officials are doing enough to prevent gun violence, according to a new poll.
Results from The Dallas Morning News-University of Texas at Tyler poll, which surveyed 1,384 registered voters across Texas Aug. 1-7, indicates a majority of people want more legislation to address gun violence. The results also mirror previous polls that showed the statewide consensus on guns has shifted since the May 24 massacre at a Uvalde elementary school that killed 21.
Most voters — 63% of those polled — either somewhat or strongly disagreed with the idea that elected officials are doing enough to prevent mass shootings, according to the survey. That includes 49% of Republicans and 75% of Democrats. Only 30% of voters said elected officials are doing enough.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
James Pace, a Lexington native living in San Antonio who answered the poll, said he thinks elected officials are doing enough within the confines of the Second Amendment.
“What can a governor do?” Pace, 48, said. “Everybody plays politics, but it’s out of his hands.”
But 66% of voters said Gov. Greg Abbott should call a special session to have lawmakers consider legislation they could pass to curb mass shootings. Roughly the same number of Texans said they are concerned about gun violence in their community.
Even Pace, an Army veteran who holds traditionally conservative views on gun rights, said steps should be taken to limit access to firearms for some people.
He said he doesn’t believe an 18-year-old should be able to buy an assault rifle: “It’s a very difficult question,” he said, “but I think the maturity level is not there for civilians until they’re 21.”
A vast majority of voters agreed: 52% of those surveyed said they “favor a great deal” laws that would raise the age limit to buy an assault rifle from 18 to 21. When including those who said they favored age increases “a moderate amount” or “a little,” that percentage climbs to 75%, including 72% of Republicans.
Such laws would have prevented the 18-year-old gunman in Uvalde from legally purchasing the rifle he used to commit the massacre.
Pace said he was also somewhat torn on the idea of letting teachers and school officials carry guns. He believes if a teacher wants to be armed and has the training, the educator should be allowed to carry. But he doesn’t want guns forced on teachers who don’t want them.
Had teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde been armed, Pace said he believes there’s a chance the massacre could have been stopped sooner.
“If I was a teacher and had a weapon it might’ve helped,” Pace said. “But if my old librarian Mrs. Smith had one, maybe not.”
Of those polled, 57% said they supported allowing teachers and other school officials to carry guns in schools, including 38% of Democrats.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” said poll respondent Carolyn Overbo, 79, of Allen. “I think there wouldn’t be enough security.”
Overbo also said she doubts adding guns on campus would be effective, since several dozen armed and trained police officers waited to confront the gunman outside the classroom.
“I don’t think the teachers would respond appropriately to someone carrying an AR-15,” Overbo said. “I think they’d be afraid.”
------
