Law enforcement officers patrol at a shopping center after a shooting on May 6, 2023, in Allen, Texas. | LM Otero/AP PhotoTexas Gov. Greg Abbott emphasized the importance of addressing increasing “anger and violence” in the wake of a mass shooting Saturday in Allen, Texas, that left at least eight dead and seven injured.
The Republican governor also called for increasing penalties for stricter laws “to get guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals and to increase penalties for criminals who possess guns.” “People want a quick solution. The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue,” Abbott said, noting that there have been mass shootings in states with varying levels of gun control.
Meanwhile Sunday, Democratic State Sen. Roland Gutierrez slammed Abbott and other state leaders for their response to the shooting, particularly for the time it is taking for information about the shooting to be made public. Official information on the Allen shooting was still scarce Sunday morning.