Former Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times published Monday calling for greater gun control — including universal background checks, red flag laws, and raising the minimum legal age to buy most rifles to 21.
Hurd's op-ed follows the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a Texas community he once represented in Congress. At least 19 children and two teachers were killed in the massacre carried out by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.
''Since 2009, 1,565 Americans have been killed in mass shootings,'' the former congressman wrote. ''That's more than the number of U.S. military personnel killed in hostile action in Afghanistan over the same period.''
''Yet, neither horrifying headlines nor stunning statistics have generated substantial legislative action,'' he added. ''This inaction has caused the public, the media, and some of those same elected officials to believe that nothing can be done. But that simply isn't true.''
Hurd then declared his support for several pieces of legislation he believes can effectively curb gun violence. The first is H.R. 8, a proposed House bill that would require universal background checks for gun owners.
He continued: ''The age to purchase a high-caliber semiautomatic weapon that can hold a high-capacity magazine should be the same as it is to purchase a handgun.''
''We must also build, at the federal level, on successes like Florida's 'Red Flag' law, that allow police officers and relatives to petition to temporarily confiscate firearms from individuals who may pose a danger.''
Hurd's support for gun control comes after President Joe Biden called for Congress on Thursday to pass laws expanding background checks, implementing a national red flag law system, and banning so-called assault rifles, according to NPR.
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