America continues to mourn the staggering loss of innocent lives in Uvalde, Texas. Join Washington Post Live to hear from the man who represents that city in Congress, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Tex.), about how the residents are coping, the reaction to the police response and what gun legislation may come out of this national tragedy.
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Tex.) joins Washington Post Live (Video: The Washington Post)
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Highlights
“The details are important and like many of us, we’re waiting to see the bill text…But I’m very optimistic on the framework of which the Senate has put together. I’ve been pushing for mental health from the very beginning…Uvalde, over a year ago, was asking me for a mental health clinic. So, this was evident there…To me, this package has to be based in mental health support. Every indication that I’ve seen, is this is essentially going to be a mental health bill and I think that’s important.”- Rep. Tony Gonzales(R-Tex.) (Video: Washington Post Live)
“I do not support “red flag” Laws, I’m against that. I’m against anything that infringes upon anyone’s rights, rights to due process, in particular. But, if there’s grants in [the proposal] that offer that, well guess what? My state doesn’t have to take those grants and I’m ok with that. So, at the end of the day, what I don’t want to have happen is, I don’t want the federal government dictating to states what they will or will not do. Now, you can offer them options all day long, but when you dictate something, I think that gets ahead of it.”- Rep. Tony Gonzales(R-Tex.) (Video: Washington Post Live)
“I think they’re still working out the final details, but I’m hearing billions of dollars towards mental health...And also, equally important is there is an offset. Meaning there’s a pay-for for this entire bill using unused infrastructure and COVID money as well. So, I think that part of it is absolutely incredible…If we truly as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans, if we truly want to ensure that our children are safe and protected…then we have to invest in mental health…This framework gives me a lot of optimism towards getting to that point.”- Rep. Tony Gonzales(R-Tex.) (Video: Washington Post Live)