AUSTIN, Texas — The Austin City Council decided to pull a resolution from Mayor Pro-Tem Alison Alter from Thursday's agenda that orders the city manager to explore ways to ban or reduce sales of semi-automatic rifles to individuals under 21 in Austin.
Alter, representing District 10, backs the resolution alongside co-sponsors Leslie Pool of District 7, Paige Ellis of District 8, Kathie Tovo of District 9 and Mayor Steve Adler.
“We are seeking reasonable gun safety legislation to restrict the purchase of AR-15 and similar semi-automatic rifles because our state leaders have failed to address the urgent threat of gun violence in our state,” Alter said in a statement. “It is incomprehensible that an 18-year-old cannot purchase alcohol, tobacco or a handgun (if nonmilitary) legally in Texas, but an 18-year-old can purchase an AR-15 or similar semi-automatic rifle in our city and endanger the lives of our neighbors.”
The resolution comes in wake of the May 24 school shooting in Uvalde that left 21 dead. The shooter in that case was 18.
“We cannot become numb to mass shootings and preventable carnage across this country," Mayor Adler said in a statement. "When these tragedies occur, community members look to local leaders for comfort and for answers. While I remain optimistic that the Bipartisan Gun Safety bill will bring us closer to the reform needed, making every effort possible at the local level is equally important to violence prevention."
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