HOUSTON – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioner Rodney Ellis held a news conference Tuesday morning calling for a special session to address the ongoing gun violence among children.
In a news release, both Hidalgo and Ellis are calling on Gov. Abbott and state lawmakers to “take immediate action,” on gun safety.
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This comes after several shootings were reported locally in Houston this week that involved children, including a 7-year-old boy who was shot to death while sleeping inside his home.
“Here in Harris County we’ve implemented policies on these issues, but there is so much we can do as a county,” she said. “We need our state lawmakers, along with our Congressman to step up to find the moral courage to pass laws that would protect children from gun violence.”
Hidalgo will also introduce a proposal to direct a study on youth gun violence in Harris County, the release said.
“If Gov. Abbott can call for a special session to provide strict rules in voting, then he can do the same for gun violence,” she said.
Both leaders call the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan deal on tackling gun violence “a work in progress,” according to Commissioner Ellis.
“I do applaud Sen. Cornyn for his progress so far (with the committee), but I believe that is not enough,” Commissioner Ellis said.
RELATED: Senate negotiators reach framework deal on bipartisan gun package, NBC News reports