State of Texas: ‘A good start’ – task force begins search for solutions after El Paso shootings

(KXAN) — This week on “State of Texas” we look closer at the ideas that came out of the Governor’s first gun safety round table and break down the political implications that come with action, or inaction.

“We plowed a lot of ground and we got off to what we consider to be a good start,” Gov. Greg Abbott said after the first meeting.

Lawmakers from El Paso are playing a big role on the Governor’s Texas Safety Commission. Their perspective is shaping the discussion.

“I think it’s important how we talk about immigrants, about how leaders of our country and our state talk about individuals that are in our communities,” said State Rep. César Blanco (D-El Paso). He raised concerns about the threat of hate groups spreading their message online.

“This horrible tragedy was caused by a white supremacist who killed 22 people in our community,” Blanco said. “I think we need to begin to heal not only in the state of Texas, but also in our community.”

You’ll also see our conversation with Texas Congressman Michael McCaul. The former chair of the Homeland Security committee tells us how strategies used to fight al Qaeda could work in the battle against domestic terrorism.

And a top Trump administration official discusses the move to end a more than 20-year old agreement about how long the government can detain migrant children with families.

You’ll see that and more on this week’s “State of Texas.”