Texas Gov. Abbott's "Safety Commission On Gun Control and Mental Health"Ignores Gun Rights Supporters
By Carole Hornsby Haynes, Ph.D. August 22, 2019
Following the El Paso mass shooting, the radical Left began their frenzied drumbeat for gun control and red flag laws with the sole purpose of disarming Texans. In response, Governor Greg Abbott announced his "Domestic Terrorism Task Force to combat hateful acts of extremism in Texas."
The first roundtable was August 22, with a second one scheduled for August 29. The list of attendees posted included mostly elected officials, people from government agencies, and representatives from organizations such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
Since Governor Abbott is well aware that Constitutional Carry is the #1 legislative priority for the Republican Party of Texas, why did he leave out pro gun organizations? Even worse, why did he include the special interest group -- gun control organization -- that lobbied extensively during the 2019 legislation session to restrict your Second Amendment rights?
Only because so many Texans called the governor's office about the EXCLUSION of pro Second Amendment organizations did Abbott finally add one sole gun rights representative: Rachel Malone with Gun Owners of America. One representative for our Second Amendment rights out of 31 representatives!
This is merely a replay from the aftermath of the 2018 Santa Fe High School mass shooting when Governor Abbott held round tables supposedly representing "all sides" -- except the grassroots. It was that commission which devised the massive school based mental health services plan that is now being implemented.
Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who single-handedly defied Texas' attempt to become the 16th Constitutional Carry state, sits on the governor's task force. Despite the rhetoric from our Republican lawmakers in Austin, pro-gun Texans got nearly nothing in this record session that favored the Democrat legislative wish lists. Even as Texans were denied our Constitutional rights, three other states passed their own Constitutional Carry laws – South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
The governor's plan includes strategies to "keep guns out of the hands of deranged individuals." Read that as expanded background checks – de facto gun registration -- and even more restrictions on our Second Amendment rights.
Plan strategies also will "address the link between mental health challenges and gun violence in our communities."
The governor is ignoring the volumes of research that debunk the idea of a causal link between mental health and violence. Numerous admissions by highly trained psychiatric experts and groups indicate that even highly trained experts following patients closely cannot predict violent behavior.
A 2013 study finds no direct link between mental and violence. Instead, there are many interacting causes for violence with mental illness alone very rarely being the cause. Only about 4% of violence in the U.S. is linked to mental illness. Most people with mental health issues are “more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence” -- especially suicide.
With Abbott's pandering to the left to link mental health challenges and gun violence, we can expect our Constitutional rights to be further eroded.
Progressive Socialists routinely employ mental health as a means to shut down any dissenters of their radical agenda. Look no further for proof than whistle blower Zachary Vorhies, a former senior software engineer at Google. San Franciso police confirmed to Project Veritas that they had been asked by Google to make a “mental health call.” (Note that Google representatives are on Abbott's Safety Commission on Gun Control and Mental Health)
With renewed focus on linking mental health and gun violence, some students will undoubtedly be wrongfully diagnosed with mental health issues. This action will be laid squarely at the feet of Governor Abbott whose proclaimed #1 legislative priority for the 2019 session was school-based mental health services, a bill which was willingly passed by a Republican-led Texas legislature.
Already these turncoat Republicans are sending out letters about their fear of Democrats taking control of the Texas legislature. With most Republicans voting for Democrat bills in the 2019 session, it looks as though they already have. Given this blatant disrespect of the grassroots and their failure to guard our Constitutional rights, Republican incumbents have every reason to fear not being re-elected.
Governor Abbott's repeat of his 2018 marginalization of grassroots voices is unacceptable for this 2019 safety commission. We need to let him know that we are not going to stand by and allow our voices and Constitutional rights to be ignored anymore.