Gov. Greg Abbott calls for mental health funding, downplays gun control after Texas mall shootingBy Jesse O’Neill and Ronny Reyes
May 7, 2023
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday said the “long term” solution to reducing mass shootings was addressing mental health after a gunman killed eight people at a Dallas-area mall — while President Biden called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban.
Abbott, a Republican who is dealing with the second mass shooting in his state in a week and a half, downplayed the need for lawmakers to tighten gun laws during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
“People want a quick solution; the long term solution here is to address the mental health issue,” Abbott told Fox News’ Shannon Bream.
Abbott did also call for increased penalties and stricter laws “to get guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals,” but did not demand new gun control measures.
Officials have not released any information about the identity, age, motivation or mental health history of the man who opened fire in the parking lot of Allen Premium Outlets Saturday afternoon. He was shot dead by a cop who was patrolling the area, police said.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/05/07/gov-greg-abbott-says-mental-health-funding-is-long-term-solution-to-curbing-gun-massacres/