Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said that raising the age from 18 to 21 to buy an assault-style rifle would be "unconstitutional."
Abbott made the comments during a campaign event in Allen, Texas, – referencing a proposal made by parents of the victims in the Uvalde mass shooting in May, when an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 elementary school children and two teachers.
"It is clear that the gun control law that they are seeking in Uvalde – as much as they may want it – has already been ruled as unconstitutional," Allen said.
Abbott referenced past court rulings, including a federal court in Fort Worth last week, that struck down a state law preventing adults under 21 from carrying a handgun as unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman ruled that the Second Amendment prevents restricting the rights of gun owners based on their age.
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That ruling came on the heels of a major victory for Second Amendment advocates in June when the Supreme Court struck down a restrictive New York law on issuing concealed carry licenses.
Abbott has argued that 18-year-olds have been able to carry guns since the inception of Texas and school shootings have only become a real issue in the past couple of decades.
"For a century and a half, 18-year-olds could buy rifles and we didn’t have school shootings. But we do," Abbott said. "Maybe we’re focusing our attention on the wrong thing."
Abbott’s comments were first reported by The Texas Tribune.
