88R13251 CJM-F
By: Morales of Harris H.C.R. No. 60
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Federal law protects firearms manufacturers and
dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with
their products; and
WHEREAS, The foundational premise of American law is that
victims of harm may seek redress in court against wrongdoers, and in
every state a business or an individual can be sued for negligence
when their conduct lacks reasonable care that foreseeably results
in harm to others; and
WHEREAS, There were more than 4,000 gun-related deaths in
Texas in 2020, and gun violence in Texas costs $16.6 billion per
year; more guns are purchased in Texas than in any other state, and
Texans purchased more than 1.6 million guns in 2021, about one gun
for every 14 adults in the state; Texas leads the United States in
the number of firearm mortalities, and from 1999 to 2000, 4,090
Texas children died from gun-related injuries; and
WHEREAS, Texas also leads the nation in mass shootings; on
May 24, 2022, 19 school children and 2 teachers were murdered during
the attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where the attacker
used a weapon manufactured by Daniel Defense; and
WHEREAS, Gun manufacturers like Daniel Defense advertise
their product to children and young men using incendiary marketing
that appeal to consumers based on hyper-masculinity, sexuality, and
militarism; like many other firearm companies, Daniel Defense also
sought placement of its products in movies and video games; the
company took special pride in alerting its followers to the
appearance of one of its DDM4 V7 rifles, the same weapon that would
be used in the murders at Robb Elementary School, in the new Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare game; and
WHEREAS, At a 2022 gun industry trade show in Las Vegas, Wee 1
Tactical used cartoons to market JR-15s (Junior AR-15s) to kids;
customers flocked to its booth, and the company was named on some
"best of" show lists; and
WHEREAS, Six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the
United States since 2018 were by people who were 21 or younger, and
these perpetrators fit in a critical age range--roughly 15 to
25--that law enforcement officials, researchers, and policy
experts consider a hazardous crossroads for young men, a period
when they are in the throes of developmental changes and societal
pressures that can turn them toward violence in general, and in the
rarest cases, toward mass shootings; and
WHEREAS, These horrible tragedies will continue as long as
gun manufacturers and gun dealers are not held accountable for
their irresponsible marketing and dangerous advertisements, which
have helped to provoke some of the worst gun-related violence that
this state has endured since its inception; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to repeal the
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA); and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.