Texas House gun control bill misses deadline for floor vote

An assault weapons bill that had unexpectedly advanced in Texas' Republican-controlled legislature earlier in the week missed a key deadline to receive a floor vote, likely dooming it in this legislative session.

Thursday marked the last day that bills can be scheduled in the Texas state House before the legislature adjourns May 29. The Community Safety committee had voted to advance the bill Monday, after two Republicans voted with the committee's Democrats, days after a deadly shooting over the weekend in Allen, Texas, left eight dead.

In the wake of several deadly mass shootings in the past few years, in particular, the 2022 massacre in Uvalde by an 18-year-old gunman, Texas Democrats have tried to raise the age to purchase an assault weapon from 18 to 21. Families from Uvalde have been lobbying continuously at the Texas Capitol since the legislative session began in January.