TYLER, TEXAS TOWN HALL MEETING - Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott appeared in a statewide televised Town Hall which took place last night in the Cowan Center on the University of Texas at Tyler. The Governor was there to answer questions ranging from illegal immigration to rising property taxes… But chief among them were questions on The recent Shooting in El Paso where 22 people were murdered at a Wal-Mart by a man with an AK-47 style semi-automatic rifle. Abbott was asked what was being done to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
"For the first time in the history of the state of Texas, a governor has used constitutional authority to create a task force dealing with domestic terrorism," explained Abbott. "To call it for what it is and to approach it for what it is, root out racist domestic terrorism whether it be in El Paso or any other part of the state of Texas. And make sure it never happens again There's going to be multiple steps we take to achieve this goal."
Despite calls for a special legislative session from a number of Texas lawmakers, Abbott explained that wasn’t necessary for lawmakers to act as they can work now on laws to have in place before the next legislative session that convenes in 2021. Abbott said he plans to release more details next week about a series of roundtables he’ll host with other lawmakers and state leaders to discuss possible legislative solutions that could prevent another massacre.
The governor avoided commenting on whether President Donald Trump should tone down his rhetoric, which critics believe may have influenced the gunman to act. Shortly before the shooting, the suspect gunman wrote in an online post that “ ...this attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,” echoing Trump’s rhetoric about illegal immigrant invasions along the southern border.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio delivered the Democratic response to Abbott's town hall, saying the governor’s response to the shooting was too short-sighted.
