The Republican-controlled Texas legislature on Sunday approved a budget bill that would allocate $1 million dollars to a gun storage public service campaign, a gun safety measure staunchly opposed by the National Rifle Association.
Though the proposal seemed unlikely to pass several weeks ago, the Associated Press reported Monday that lawmakers quietly slipped it into the spending bill during a session on Sunday night.
Gun safety proponents say that the campaign’s not just about preventing mass shootings, though the proposal did emerge after a teenager allegedly used his father’s guns to kill 10 people at Santa Fe High School in 2018. Advocates say it’s also meant to teach parents how to keep their firearms out of the hands of curious children who accidentally shoot themselves or others.
Now it’s up to Gov. Greg Abbott (R) whether to sign the measure. Abbott’s office did not respond to TPM’s request for comment.
Alice Tripp, the legislative director for the Texas State Rifle Association, told the Associated Press that the group won’t ask Abbott for a veto, despite its opposition to the program.
“We don’t do that,” Tripp said. “Gov. Abbott does not need that kind of advice from us. We bring information to the table.”
