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SENATE 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, |
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in every state, a business or an individual can be sued for |
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negligence when their conduct lacks reasonable care that |
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foreseeably results 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 dollars |
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per year; and |
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WHEREAS, More guns are purchased in Texas than in any other |
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state, and Texans purchased more than 1.6 million guns in 2021, |
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about one gun for every 14 adults in the state; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas also leads the United States in the number of |
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firearm mortalities, from 1999-2020, 4,090 Texas children died from |
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gun-related injuries; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas also leads the Nation in mass shootings; and |
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WHEREAS, On May 24, 2022, 19 school children and two teachers |
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were murdered during the attack on Robb Elementary in Uvalde Texas |
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using a weapon manufactured by Daniel Defense; and |
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WHEREAS, Gun manufacturers like Daniel's 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; and |
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WHEREAS, Like many other firearms companies, Daniel Defense |
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also sought placement of its products in movies and video games, and |
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Daniel Defense took special pride in alerting its followers to the |
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appearance of one of its DDM4 V7 rifles in the new Call of Duty: |
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Modern Warfare game, and this is the same weapon used by the |
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attacker on Robb Elementary; and |
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WHEREAS, In 2022 gun industry trade show in Las Vegas Wee1 |
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Tactical used cartoons to market JR-15s (Junior AR-15s) to kids and |
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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 25 - |
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that law enforcement officials, researchers and policy experts |
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consider a hazardous crossroads for young men, a period when they |
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are in the throes of developmental changes and societal pressures |
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that can turn them toward violence in general, and, in the rarest |
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cases, mass shootings; and |
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WHEREAS, Horrible gun-violence tragedies will continue as |
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long as gun manufacturers and gun dealers are not held accountable |
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for their irresponsible marketing and dangerous advertisements |
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that, in part, lead to some of the worst gun-related tragedies 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 Congress of the United States to |
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repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA); and, |
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be it 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. |