Today marks the official end of the Texas Legislature’s 89th regular session. It was the first one since the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in 2023, and lawmakers there sent Governor Greg Abbott school safety legislation directly responding to the delayed law enforcement response to the attack. The “Uvalde Strong” bill, proposed by former Uvalde mayor and current State Representative Don McLaughlin, requires police agencies across the state to create crisis response policies.
The GOP-dominated Legislature also sent Abbott some pro-gun measures. Here are the highlights.
• Lawmakers passed legislation that bars cities and counties from having gun buyback programs. The language specifically bans programs intended to “remove firearms from circulation,” “reduce the number of firearms owned by civilians,” or “allow individuals to sell firearms without fear of criminal prosecution.” As The Trace has reported, gun buybacks are popular among law enforcement agencies and the broader public, but there is little empirical evidence to suggest that they reduce shootings, homicides, or suicides by any significant degree.
• They passed the “Anti-Red Flag Act,” which bars local governments from adopting measures related to extreme risk protection orders without state permission and from accepting federal grants related to implementing and enforcing such laws. It includes exceptions for cases in which criminal charges have been filed or protective orders have been issued.
• Legislators also approved a bill that bars the state’s foster care system from asking if potential homes have firearms in them, and creates civil penalties for using such information in placement decisions. Texas’ foster care system has been the subject of a long-running lawsuit that may reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
From The Trace
On Finding Beauty in the World Again: A mother who lost her daughter to gun violence in Philadelphia turned to gardening to heal. This is her story.
A Program That Works Directly With Shooters Is Finding Success — And Police Support: Establishing Advance Peace in Lansing, Michigan, was a battle, but its unique approach to community violence intervention has garnered attention, and cooperation, from law enforcement.
A Memorial Day Mass Shooting Has Unnerved Philadelphians. Is It a Harbinger?: Warm weather often brings a spike in gun violence. Officials are hoping to mitigate it through teen programming and increased patrols.
What to Know Today
Federal prosecutors have sided with seven defendants who were granted clemency under President Donald Trump’s mass January 6 pardons but accused of other offenses, including some related to guns, when law enforcement searched their homes after the Capitol riot. The Justice Department argues that the pardons apply to other crimes. But on at least four recent occasions, federal judges have rejected that claim and refused to dismiss cases. [The Washington Post]
In April, a SIG Sauer executive asked New Hampshire lawmakers to pass legislation to shield the company, which is one of the state’s largest employers, from a wave of liability lawsuits alleging that the weapon — one of the most popular handguns in the country — has an inherent safety defect. Over the past few years, the gunmaker has faced dozens of suits from people, including some who were gruesomely injured, who say that their P320 fired without the trigger being pulled. The legislation prohibits lawsuits that focus on the gun’s lack of an external safety. Last month, one day after the bill cleared the Legislature, Governor Kelly Ayotte signed it into state law. [New Hampshire Public Radio]
Illinois lawmakers approved a bill that would require gun owners to keep their firearms in a secure, locked box placed somewhere they “reasonably should know” that a minor without permission to handle a gun, an at-risk person, or someone prohibited from having guns could not access it whenever such a person is present. The bill now awaits Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. [Capitol News Illinois]
As President Donald Trump diverts federal resources for countering extremist violence toward his mass deportation campaign, state officials say they’ve been left to pick up the slack. The result is a patchwork system that counterterrorism experts say leaves many areas uncovered. [ProPublica]
The Georgia Supreme Court upheld state restrictions barring people under 21 from carrying a handgun in most public places. In the opinion, judges wrote that the plaintiff asked the court to apply federal standards — in this case, strict scrutiny — to their interpretation of the state constitution, “a practice we have regularly criticized and disapproved.” [The Atlanta Voice]
April 2025 was one of the worst months for gun violence against children that Memphis, Tennessee, has ever recorded. The city has seen a sharp rise in the number of young people shot over the past decade. A local children’s trauma doctor who has been tracking the data says the trend may be related to a state law passed in 2013 that allows residents to store guns in their cars. [MLK50]
Hawaii has had a ghost gun ban on the books since 2020, but prosecutors in Honolulu have argued that the terms made it hard to enforce, saying the statute related only to unserialized parts, not fully assembled weapons. A new law specifically addresses their concerns — but in what could have been their first test, both police and prosecutors failed to fully use it. [Honolulu Civil Beat]
Data Point
At least 80 — the number of pending cases against SIG Sauer in New Hampshire. [New Hampshire Public Radio]
Non Sequitur
Nathan Fielder calls FAA ‘dumb’ after agency rejects ‘The Rehearsal’ findings
The comedian appeared on CNN to discuss his experience flying a Boeing 737 during the season two finale of his HBO show. [NBC]
