Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right on Crime commended Rep. Dustin Burrows, Rep. Joe Moody, and Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman for releasing their investigative report on the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, Texas. 

“The committee did a fantastic job sorting the spin and blamecasting from actionable policy matters,” said Derek Cohen, Vice President of Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation and Right On Crime Senior Fellow. “The report leaves us with an undeniable conclusion: the tragedy in Uvalde could have been somewhat mitigated if certain practices and procedures were correctly implemented. Individuals failed in the response, and we must seek to change the organizational culture that permitted such failures.”

“This report highlights lessons learned and the fallibility of many people and multiple agencies involved,” says Brett Tolman, former U.S. Attorney and Executive Director of Right On Crime. “The answer to reducing mass shootings is not to violate one Constitutional right through the abuse of a second Constitutional right. Conservatives will continue to advocate for effective policies to protect public safety.” 

“The horrific school shooting illustrated the potential for cascading failures. The current debate presents us with the opportunity to stop several of these failure points from materializing without sacrificing our liberties,” Tolman added. “Lawmakers should consider the following solutions to help keep Texans safe: 

  • Texas should create a limited doctrine of liability for police response during mass casualty events where – once a response has been initiated – failure to abide by established standard operating procedure in bringing the incident to a swift resolution automatically waives any immunity that may apply. 
  • Individuals who seek additional clearance and training to carry guns should not be penalized for carrying on a school’s campus. Leadership should engage in good-faith planning and strategizing with internal and external volunteers who wish to make school more resistant to violence. 
  • The experiment with ‘district-based law enforcement’ should be over. Instead, schools should be required to rely upon county or city personnel for contract law enforcement.” 

“While the investigation continues, the interim report provides enough information that lawmakers should begin quickly considering solutions to keep all Texans – and especially our most vulnerable – safe in our schools and communities.”