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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Federal law protects firearms manufacturers and |
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dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with |
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their products; and |
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WHEREAS, The foundational premise of American law is that |
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victims of harm may seek redress in court against wrongdoers, and in |
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every state a business or an individual can be sued for negligence |
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when their conduct lacks reasonable care that foreseeably results |
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in harm to others; and |
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WHEREAS, There were more than 4,000 gun-related deaths in |
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Texas in 2020, and gun violence in Texas costs $16.6 billion per |
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year; more guns are purchased in Texas than in any other state, and |
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Texans purchased more than 1.6 million guns in 2021, about one gun |
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for every 14 adults in the state; Texas leads the United States in |
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the number of firearm mortalities, and from 1999 to 2000, 4,090 |
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Texas children died from gun-related injuries; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas also leads the nation in mass shootings; on |
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May 24, 2022, 19 school children and 2 teachers were murdered during |
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the attack on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where the attacker |
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used a weapon manufactured by Daniel Defense; and |
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WHEREAS, Gun manufacturers like Daniel Defense advertise |
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their product to children and young men using incendiary marketing |
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that appeal to consumers based on hyper-masculinity, sexuality, and |
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militarism; like many other firearm companies, Daniel Defense also |
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sought placement of its products in movies and video games; the |
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company took special pride in alerting its followers to the |
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appearance of one of its DDM4 V7 rifles, the same weapon that would |
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be used in the murders at Robb Elementary School, in the new Call of |
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Duty: Modern Warfare game; and |
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WHEREAS, At a 2022 gun industry trade show in Las Vegas, Wee 1 |
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Tactical used cartoons to market JR-15s (Junior AR-15s) to kids; |
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customers flocked to its booth, and the company was named on some |
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"best of" show lists; and |
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WHEREAS, Six of the nine deadliest mass shootings in the |
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United States since 2018 were by people who were 21 or younger, and |
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these perpetrators fit in a critical age range--roughly 15 to |
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25--that law enforcement officials, researchers, and policy |
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experts consider a hazardous crossroads for young men, a period |
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when they are in the throes of developmental changes and societal |
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pressures that can turn them toward violence in general, and in the |
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rarest cases, toward mass shootings; and |
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WHEREAS, These horrible tragedies will continue as long as |
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gun manufacturers and gun dealers are not held accountable for |
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their irresponsible marketing and dangerous advertisements, which |
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have helped to provoke some of the worst gun-related violence that |
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this state has endured since its inception; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to repeal the |
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Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA); and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |