Most in Texas want more legislation to address gun violence: poll

The majority of Texans say that they want some level of extra legislation to address gun violence, according to a survey conducted by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.

Three-quarters of people surveyed said they supported raising the age at which a person can buy a semi-automatic assault-style rifle from 18 to 21, while 52 percent said that they favored a mandatory program where the government would buy back these weapons from those who own them.

The sample of 1,384 Texas voters were asked multiple questions concerning gun control, abortion and other important issues from Aug. 1 to 7.

Questions about gun control led in the survey due to continued tensions over the mass shooting that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in late May.

Overall, most respondents, 56 percent, said they believe Texas is on the “wrong track” rather than going in the right direction politically.

About half of those surveyed, 49 percent, said that they disapproved of the way Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is performing in Texas, and 66 percent said that they wanted him to call a special session of the Texas Legislature to respond to mass shootings.

Sixty-five percent of respondents said they were concerned about the possibility of gun violence in their community, while 63 percent said they disagreed that elected officials are doing enough to prevent mass shootings.