AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas Senate committee will continue its hearing on school security and gun safety in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Committee Chair Sen. Robert Nichols and the rest of the group will hear both invited and public testimony on mental health and firearm safety, said a public notice of the meeting.
Public testimony will be limited to two minutes per person, and if people want to submit written testimony, they should bring 20 copies of it for the committee members to have.
On Tuesday, the committee heard from the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steven McCraw, who called law enforcement response during the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary “an abject failure.” Nineteen children and two teachers were killed that day.
The Texas DPS chief testified Tuesday there were enough armed officers to stop the gunman as soon as three minutes after he entered the school building. He also said there was no evidence showing officers tried to unlock the door to the classroom were the shooter was located.
“I have great reasons to believe [the classroom door] was never secured,” McCraw said.
Instead, armed officers with rifles waited outside the classroom for over an hour before breaking in and killing the gunman.
The Senate committee was formed by Gov. Greg Abbott as part of his response to the shooting.
Coverage of the Tuesday hearings
‘An abject failure’: Texas DPS head says of police response to Uvalde shootingDPS Director: Officers spent 40 mins. looking for key of unlocked Uvalde classroomUvalde CISD required teachers to lock doors, but doors didn’t lock from insideWhy did Uvalde CISD police chief testify in secret, escorted through a back door?
KXAN will stream Wednesday’s hearing in this story, on Facebook and on the KXAN News app.
