Senator John Cornyn was in North Texas Monday looking at school security upgrades at R.L. Paschal High School in the Fort Worth Independent School District.
“I get back to the basic premise which is, no kid should have to go to school being worried -- 'am I going to be safe' -- and no parent should have to send their child to school wondering about their safety. And this is all designed to address that, “ said Cornyn.
One year after the mass shooting in Uvalde, the senator talked about the bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Cornyn was one of the architects of the legislation in response to the tragedy. The bill provides grants to states for "red flag" laws, requires enhanced background checks for people under 21, and federal money for mental health services and schools.
“I think we tried to do our best to be responsive and come up with bipartisan legislation that isn't universally popular, but sometimes it's misunderstood," he said.
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Opponents thought the bill went too far, others said it did not go far enough. Cornyn said it does not infringe on the Second Amendment.
“I am not a threat to public safety nor is any law-abiding gun owner, and you do have a constitutional right under the Second Amendment. But the area where we have been able to find consensus, bipartisan consensus, is keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and people with mental health problems.
Fort Worth ISD received one of the first grants from the Safer Communities Act. The grant, which is almost $360,000, includes funds for specialized radios and other upgrades.
