Texas gun violence prevention groups advocate for 'common-sense gun safety reforms'

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas gun violence prevention groups gathered at the State Capitol on Thursday. They are advocating for what they call ‘common sense gun safety reforms.’ 

Statistics show that each year, more than 4,000 people die by guns in Texas.

Allen outlet mall mass shooting

Local perspective:

"It was like any other day until it wasn’t," mass shooting survivor Mireya Rodriguez said.

Almost two years ago, Rodriguez was working at the Allen Premium Outlet Mall in North Texas.

"I'll never forget the sounds of rapid fire, gunshots, people screaming, sirens blaring from every direction. It wasn't until I was leaving the mall, after having seen the deceased gunman myself, that I realized I survived a mass shooting," Rodriguez said.

Eight people were killed, including Rodriguez’s friend. Rodriguez said she is now using her second chance to try to make a difference.

Texas gun violence prevention groups rally at Capitol

What they're saying:

Rodriguez, as well as others with gun safety organizations, chanted along the sidewalk on Thursday then walked through a sea of T-shirts representing people who have died from gun violence.

"Each and every one of these T-shirts represents somebody, a community member, a family member, a loved one, a child whose lives have been lost to the scourge upon the state of Texas," Team ENOUGH Youth Advocacy Coordinator Jasir Rahman said.

At the steps of the Capitol, they advocated for what they call common-sense gun safety measures.

"As a Texan, born and raised, I get how much our state values the Second Amendment and that's okay, because at the end of the day, we can all get behind wanting to keep ourselves, our families and our community safe, but allowing guns, let alone weapons of war like the AR-15 that was used at my Allen Mall to be carried anywhere by anyone at any time makes nobody safer," Rodriguez said.

Dig deeper:

Texas Senator Roland Gutierrez has filed several bills this legislative session to designate May 24th as Victims of the Uvalde Shooting Day.

Also, to raise the age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21, to require background checks and a three-day waiting period to access certain guns, to create a compensation fund for school violence victims, to ban 3-D gun printing, and to require safe storage of guns.

"We have to stop this madness that isn’t normal," Senator Gutierrez said.

Senator Gutierrez filed similar bills last session, but they failed to move forward.