Texas GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales, who represents Uvalde, announced in a tweet thread Wednesday morning that he will support the bipartisan gun safety legislation.
Senators released text of the bill on Tuesday, the result of bipartisan talks following the tragic shootings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were killed, and at a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., where 10 people were killed.
The bill includes a narrow set of gun safety measures, including enhanced background checks for young adults, incentives for states to implement so-called red flag laws, more penalties for gun trafficking, and funding for mental health programs.
“As a Congressman it’s my duty to pass laws that never infringe on the Constitution while protecting the lives of the innocent. In the coming days I look forward to voting YES on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act,” Gonzales wrote in part.
Gonzales also shared his brutal personal backstory with domestic abuse. He tweeted that his stepfather "would come home drunk & beat on me and my mother."
"One night he decided that wasn’t enough and shoved a shotgun in my mother’s mouth. I was 5 at the time and not strong enough to fend off the wolves," Gonzales wrote in a tweet.
Gonzales was first elected in 2020 to succeed former GOP Rep. Will Hurd in the expansive swing district. His district became more Republican as a result of redistricting.
