In a surprising development, two Republicans on the Texas state House Community Safety Select Committee on Monday joined the Dems and voted to advance a bill raising the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 or similar guns, teeing up a vote in the full chamber, the Texas Tribune reports.
HB 2744, authored by Uvalde-area Dem state Representative Tracy King to raise the age from 18 to 21 for purchase, passed the committee 8 to 5 just hours after Republican Committee Chairman Ryan Guillen told the Dallas News he wouldn’t even bring the measure up for a vote since it would be gunned down by the full floor. Guillen was not among the Republicans to have voted aye on it.