Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton responded to the push to restrict gun rights by President Joe Biden, who on the Feb. 14 anniversary of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school called on Congress to impose tougher laws on ownership of firearms.

“The Parkland shooting 3 years ago was an act of unspeakable evil,” Paxton wrote in a tweet late Feb. 14. “But Democrats cannot be allowed to use this tragedy as an opportunity to cram down unhelpful and unconstitutional gun laws.”

“Biden won’t undo the #2A in TX on my watch,” the Republican attorney general said, referring to the Second Amendment.

Feb. 14 marked three years since former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the Parkland, Florida, campus, killing 17 people and leaving another 17 wounded.

Biden took the opportunity to call on lawmakers to enact what he called “commonsense gun law reforms.” This includes background checks on all gun sales, eliminating immunity for gun manufacturers, and banning “assault weapons” and high-capacity magazines.

“We owe it to all those we’ve lost and to all those left behind to grieve to make a change. The time to act is now,” Biden said in a statement.

Parkland parents have been divided over how lawmakers should respond.

Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was 14 when she was killed in the shooting, addressed the president in a tweet on Feb. 14.

“Mr. President, thank you for remembering the loved ones taken from us 3 years ago,” he wrote. “Alaina loved this country and the freedoms it guarantees. Common sense tells us that honoring her life does not require infringement on the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

In an interview on Feb. 14, Petty said the president’s proposals won’t prevent more tragedies.

“It’s wrong to focus on the weapon,” said Petty, who is now a member of the state school board. “For those who understand what happened that day, there were mistakes. This was the most preventable school shooting in the history of our country. The warning signs were there. It was clear the killer had intentions to attack the school.”

Mass shootings have galvanized gun control advocates, who argue tha... (Read more)