New bill will make it easier for authorities to verify the background of gun buyers under the age of 21

Austin (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A new bill in the Texas Legislature will make it easier for the federal government to identify individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 who should not be allowed to buy guns.

Following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalda last May, Congress passed a bill backed by Senator John Cornyn that would require the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, to conduct more thorough background checks on gun buyers under the age of 21. .

Authorities are looking for anyone 16 years of age or older who received court-ordered mental health care or was institutionalized due to mental retardation or mental illness as part of a misdemeanor hearing.

But a report released by the Texas House of Representatives Legislative Committee in January showed that federal authorities are facing challenges in conducting background checks on people under the age of 21.

It found, “The problem is that Texas does not have a centralized source of information about statewide mental health adjudication in juvenile cases.”

This information is now held by 450 county and county clerks throughout Texas.

The new bill filed would require these clerks to submit appropriate mental health records to the Texas DPS.

Flo Rice was a substitute teacher who survived the fatal 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting.

She supports the new state bill. “There are a lot of things that need to be in place. We will never have them all in place; every step in the right direction to save lives is important. Every little step.”

Her husband Scott agrees. “It could speed up the process, and maybe someone won’t fail.”

Last week, the law was passed by the Senate State Affairs Committee.

The sponsor of the bill, State Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston, said, “These changes to mental health records for juveniles aged 16 and over are simply in line with federal law and, again, are designed to provide more thorough background checks and therefore make our schools and communities safer. .”

At a hearing last Thursday, Dr. Lauren Gamble of the Texas Medical Association said many doctors support the bill. “In Texas, we have doctors on both sides of the gun debate, but we are united in our desire to prevent death and injury from firearms.”

Martha Constant, co-owner of Target Master in Garland, supports the state’s efforts to make it easier for officials to conduct additional background checks on individuals aged 18 to 20. “At this point, they may not need a firearm, and they may need a little more time before they are ready to mentally take responsibility for gun ownership.”

She said she hoped steps would be taken to protect the information of minors. “They must not be mishandled, leaked or left unattended in any way.”

Huffman’s bill is now heading to the full Senate.

Democratic state lawmakers have proposed several bills calling for further gun restrictions, but they face difficulty given Republicans have a majority in the legislature.