Texas GOP lawmaker won’t support stricter gun laws in wake of school shooting

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said on Sunday he would not support red flag laws and other potential gun control legislation following a mass shooting in his home state that killed 21 people.

“Truthfully, I think there is a lot of problems with red flag laws, especially at a national level,” he said.

When asked by co-anchor Dana Bash on “CNN’s State of the Union” if he would support a red flag law at the state level, Crenshaw said he would oppose such a measure. He raised due process concerns over the proposal, which allows people to petition a court to prohibit people deemed dangerous to themselves or others from owning firearms.

“What you’re essentially trying to do with a red flag law is enforce the law before the law has been broken, and it’s a really difficult thing to do,” he said. “It’s difficult to assess whether somebody is a threat.”

A small group of Democratic and Republican senators have formed a bipartisan negotiating group in hopes of reaching a modest deal on gun control legislation. The group said they are focusing on background check legislation and encouraging states to set up red flag laws.

Crenshaw added that he did not want to “judge” law enforcement officers who had to make quick decisions, but said “it does seem clear” that proper protocols “were not followed.” Local police have faced scrutiny in recent days for their handling of the shooting, with several officers entering the elementary school but not engaging the gunman or entering the classroom even as students inside called 911 pleading for help.

“You have to put away your sense of self-preservation and go through that door,” Crenshaw said.

“The training clearly states you might get shot, but the guy behind you might be able to get in and save innocent people,” he added. “You have to put them before you. It doesn’t appear that that happened here.”

Crenshaw said he wants to see the investigation into law enforcement’s response “play out.”

“It’s hard not to see how someone doesn’t get fired for these very, very bad calls,” Crenshaw said.