AUSTIN, Texas — So-called red flag laws exist in 19 states and the District of Columbia. They permit police or family members to petition a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may present a danger to others or themselves, with the idea that such a law could prevent a suicide or an attack.
A 2019 ABC News-Washington Post poll found that 86% of Americans support red flag laws. Supporters included former President Donald Trump, though the laws have also drawn opposition from some gun rights supporters and civil libertarians.
After a 17-year-old student shot and killed 10 people at Santa Fe High School near Houston in 2018, Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to consider a red flag law in Texas.
But those bills faced strong opposition from gun rights supporters and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and didn't get through a special legislative session.
When the Texas Legislature met again in 2019, despite being proposed by Democrats, no red flag law survived the session. Instead, lawmakers ended up passing bills that focused on giving teachers more access to guns on school campuses and increased funding for mental health care.
Again in the 2021 Texas legislative session, Democrats proposed a red flag law, but nothing came of it.
In light of Uvalde shooting, there appears to be some renewed support from lawmakers in both political parties in Washington, D.C., to enact a national red flag law. Both sides have expressed a belief that a red flag law might now win support from Congress and make its way into a federal law that would be applicable in all states, including Texas.
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