This week, gun violence and road rage incidents have again plagued the state. Near Fort Worth, Paola Nunez Linares and her husband were driving when she was shot and killed when a driver shot into the vehicle after her husband flipped off the aggressive driver. Another victim was shot and treated at the scene of a road rage incident in Fort Worth along Interstate 35W. In Houston, a mother took a moment to drive after a light turned green and the car behind her shot her 7-year-old daughter three times. Her daughter Luna is in stable condition at the hospital.
Additionally, in El Paso, six people were shot, including two fatally at the Ditzy Duck bar on Airway just after midnight on Thursday. On Tuesday evening, six people were shot inside the parking lot of an apartment complex in Dallas, with victims ranging from 14 to 37.
“With the help of Governor Abbott and our reckless lawmakers who made permitless carry the law of the land, the increasing presence of guns can and does turn unpleasant encounters of road rage into a life-threatening incident for drivers and others involved,” said Kat Vargas, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This only emphasizes the need to keep fighting for gun safety – we will not rest until lawmakers protect constituents across the state so simple acts like driving don’t end in gunfire.”
The southern United States, which has weaker gun laws on average than the nation overall, sees the highest rates of victimization from road rage shootings, double those in the Northeast. There is a strong association between states loosening gun laws and road rage: states with permitless carry in 2022, Texas included, have by far the highest rate of road rage shootings with injuries or deaths. States that did not require a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public had nearly triple the rate of road rage shooting victimization than those states with the most protective standards. In 2021, permitless carry went into effect in Texas.
In an average year, 3,996 people die by guns in Texas, and 5,556 more are wounded. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Texas. More information on gun violence in Texas is available here.
If you are interested in speaking with a Texas Moms Demand Action or Students Demand volunteer, or a policy expert please reach out to [email protected].
