AUSTIN, Texas _ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott kicked off a three-day summit on gun violence Tuesday afternoon, four days after 10 Santa Fe students and teachers were killed in the country's latest mass shooting.
In his opening remarks in front of a group of law enforcement and education leaders, Abbott said he wanted to hear policy ideas about working toward their shared mission _ "to protect innocent lives in the state of Texas."
"Whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, whether you are pro-gun or believe in more gun regulations, the reality is we both want guns out of the hands of those who would try to murder our children. The question is what are we, the leaders of Texas, going to do to prevent this from happening again?"
Texas has been the site for two of the worst mass shootings in the past year. In November, 26 parishioners at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs were gunned down during Sunday morning services by a man with a history of domestic violence. Then on Friday morning, a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe High School south of Houston killed eight classmates and two teachers with a shotgun and pistol he took from his father.
Abbott announced he would be convening "roundtable" discussions in the wake of last week's shooting, saying, "We need to do more than just to pray for the victims and their families."
Tuesday's meetings included police chiefs and prosecutors, education officials and school safety experts. In attendance were Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Garland ISD Superintendent Ricardo Lopez.
On Wednesday, Abbott will meet with activists on either side of the gun debate to discuss gun regulations, mental health solutions and the "underlying causes of gun violence." On Thursday, victims of shootings and their families will be invited to take part. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz will also participate in Thursday's discussions.
Leaders from the Texas House and Senate, education and public safety agencies will take part in all three days of talks, Abbott said.
At a news conference Friday announcing the roundtables, Abbott said he hoped to discuss "speeding up background checks" and keeping guns out of the hands of those "who pose immediate danger." The governor elaborated on these policy suggestions over the weekend, adding metal detectors on campuses, mental health screenings and social media checks on students to his list.
Gun control is rarely a serious topic for discussion in Texas. In the last few years, the state Legislature has approved "campus carry" legislation allowing concealed weapons to be carried at colleges and universities and legalized the open carry of handguns by licensed firearms owners. Texas allows churches to have armed guards and lets educators carry guns on campus if they go through training to become school marshals.
Since 2005, the state has required public schools and community colleges to have emergency plans that include live shooters drills and safety audits at least every three years. Santa Fe High School had completed a live shooter drill in the days before Friday's attack.
This week's gun violence meetings will be closed to the public and press to "to get the most comprehensive and open discussion from attendees," Abbott staff said at the start of the meeting.
The governor reminded participants not to stray from their singular goal, and said agreed upon policy suggestions could be implemented through legislative or executive action.
"If you're being silent, you're not filling your seat adequately. You need to be active, engaged and focused the entire time," Abbott said. "The only thing we want to hear about are what are you ideas about solutions that will help us to be able to reduce gun violence."
