Gun-right fights move to states after little ‘action’

Bloomberg

When Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law measures that would allow adults to carry handguns without a license in 2021, smiling at the dais a seat away from him was the head of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
After the shooting deaths of at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, the Republican governor said more mental health support was needed for the town.
He didn’t echo the calls
of President
Joe Biden or Senate Democrats for gun-control easures.
Abbott’s comments about
deficient mental-health resources came just a day before NRA leaders are expected to
host the “largest gathering of NRA members and Second Amendment supporters in the country” when their national convention opens in Houston.
The NRA has won the fight over gun rights in Washington — for now. With the US Senate far from the 60-vote majority either side needs to drive policy, the federal government is limited to executive orders as some lawmakers seek middle ground on modest measures like additional background checks.
The battleground, meanwhile, has moved to state courts and capitols, which have seen a flurry of gun legislation — on both the left and the right.
Those efforts may soon become even more pronounced with a pending decision from the US Supreme Court.