No vote after Uvalde parents plead for tougher gun laws

By PAUL J. WEBER and ACACIA CORONADO
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Lawmakers in the Texas Capitol have set aside a slate of proposed new gun restrictions without a vote after hours of emotional appeals from Uvalde families whose children were killed last year at Robb Elementary School. The hearing didn’t end until the early morning hours Wednesday and may wind up as the only debate in the Legislature this year over a raft of stricter gun proposals filed following the deaths of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde. The string of recent mass shootings has reenergized gun control advocates nationwide, but in Texas, their prospects remain bleak. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has waved aside talk of raising the age to purchase AR-15-like rifles like the kind used in Uvalde. The first anniversary of the shooting is May 24.