‘It’s Just Become so Normalized:’ Fighting Gun Violence in Texas

(AUSTIN, Texas) — It’s been two years and seven months since a gunman opened fire on an elementary school in Uvalde, killing 19 students and two teachers. In the days after, lawmakers offered their condolences and prayers, vowing that such tragedies would not be tolerated in the state of Texas.

Today, little has changed. The Republican-led legislature continues to strike down bills that would tighten firearm restrictions—despite a majority of their constituents from across political affiliations believing it should be done. 

Young activists, who have experienced numerous political setbacks in recent years, are determined to keep pushing for change in Texas. Many of them simply hope that others won’t have to experience a life affected by gun violence. 

“I think it’s just become so normalized. I can list off one hand the amount of school shootings that I’m familiar with in Texas,” says Isabella Spartz, a recent college graduate and youth civic engagement advocate. “Everyone has their own story with it, and it’s crazy that we haven’t done anything about it.” 

Spartz has established herself within the online activist space as “The Young Texan,” where she shares jargon-free information about the state legislature’s billing process, national policies, and news about state representatives. 

By age 20, she had met dozens of young people who didn’t know how the election process worked. Throughout her time as a volunteer deputy registrar, an individual certified to register other voters, she realized that Texas doesn’t make voting easy.

Ayaan Moledina, 15, is federal policy director for  Students Engaged in Advancing Texas [Credit: Ayaan Moledina]

How Many More Generations Will Be Affected?

The shared concern among young adults is combined with an increase in mass shootings nationwide. 

There have been seven in Texas since 2016, including the country’s deadliest school shooting in a decade— at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The youngest of the 19 victims was just nine years old. 

The gunman used an AR-15-style rifle that he purchased days after he turned 18, the legal age one can buy an assault rifle—but not a handgun—in Texas.

Austin resident Ayaan Moledina was finishing up his last years of middle school when the Uvalde school shooting happened in 2022. 

Now, at 15 years old, his high school years have already overlapped with a mass shooting that occurred at Apalachee High School in Georgia this past September. Moledina recalls getting the news on his phone while sitting with a group of friends.

Vidas Robadas hung t-shirts representing gun violence victims in a Texas church. [Credit: Michael Glazner]

Last year, the families of Uvalde victims spent four months advocating for a bill (HB 2744) that would raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles to 21. It failed to pass on May 9, 2023, days after another gunman killed eight people at a Texas premium outlet store. 

Spartz’s roommate was working at the outlet’s Steve Madden store when it happened but ended up unharmed.

“It’s weird…to have [Texas Senator] Ted Cruz be a staunch anti-advocate of gun violence prevention. We’ve talked personally to him and he still votes against this type of legislation,” Spartz says. “It’s not like these politicians don’t know these people or their stories. They 100% do. They just choose to not act on it.” 

Cruz, R-Texas, recently won reelection to a third term on Nov. 5, defeating Rep. Colin Allred, who campaigned on a promise to work in a bipartisan way to pass common-sense gun laws. 

Many hoped that 2024 would mark the year Texas flipped blue, but November also marked an unprecedented win for former President Donald Trump, with his receiving over 500,000 more votes than he did in the 2020 election. 

Trump’s victory sparked concern among organizations fighting for gun safety—since he promised to undo the work that many of them spent years advocating for.

In May, the president-elect told members gathered at a National Rifle Association convention in Dallas that in his second term, he would “roll back every Biden attack on the Second Amendment…starting the minute that Crooked Joe shuffles his way out of the White House.”

Biden-era policies related to federal gun violence prevention include the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and an expansion of firearm background checks.

“The Office of Gun Violence Prevention that was created under the Biden administration will most likely be going away under the Trump administration…I would say that’s one of the biggest blowbacks,” Spartz says. 

Within our Democratic system, money speaks power, she says. That power can be reflected in Cruz receiving more than  $604,000 from gun rights groups, according to Open Secrets, an organization that tracks money in U.S. politics.

“If the anti-gun violence movement would like to see more change in it, we need more money and more support,” Spartz says. “And that does come with changing the language that we use and making sure that everyone understands it and everyone is included in this movement.”

The Fight is Long and Exhausting

Moledina, the Texas high schooler, started his activist journey at age 10 during the beginning months of the pandemic. 

A Vidas Robadas t-shirt installation in Texas. [Credit: Bobby Watson]

“I needed a way to advocate for myself — the struggles that I was facing and knew that our entire generation was facing,” Moledina says. “I needed a way to channel the struggles that I was facing into something bigger than myself.”

Since then, Moledina has worked with numerous grassroots organizations, leading him to land his current role as federal policy director at Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT).

He works year-round to ensure Texas students are being heard at the federal level, often partnering with the Department of Education and The White House.

“In my conversations with folks in the gun violence prevention space, for the first couple days after the election, we were kind of lost, not knowing what to do,” Moledina said.

“We came together and decided this is not a time to put up our hands and say, ‘We can’t do this anymore.’ This is the time to get to work.”

Moledina says that even under a Trump presidency, there’s room to build support for the safe storage of firearms, mental health access, and suicide prevention.

Over the last five years, an average of 2,479 of gun deaths in Texas were by gun suicide, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Statewide, the rate continues to increase and is 11% higher than the national average.

“I think as the president-elect comes into office…other folks will start to realize the only way to actually get things done will be through bipartisan topics.”

However, many gun safety organizations will find themselves on the defensive looking forward, Moledina adds.

“We just want to protect the rights that we have already,” he says. “Our biggest concern is making sure that all that we have worked hard for is not in the stroke of a pen, just gone away.”

Bobby Watson with members from Moms Demand Action at a Vidas Robadas installation. [Credit: Bobby Watson]

SEAT met with over 175 congressional offices to discuss the intersection of safe storage and suicide prevention. 

Multiple times, he saw Republicans and Democrats come together to support bills written by young people. 

Although HB 2744 ultimately failed to pass, Moledina saw numerous Republican lawmakers support Uvalde families in attempting to raise the age to legally purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21.

“We’re not always going to get the results we want. But as long as we keep pushing, I take that as a win…I’ve been hearing this a lot lately, and I really do believe…When we fight, we win. But the fight takes longer than we expect.”

Advocacy Comes in Many Shapes and Sizes

Next year, on  Feb. 27, religious congregations, universities, and residents from across Texas will create one of the largest displays memorializing victims of gun violence, using ordinary t-shirts.

Texas Impact Policy Advocate Bobby Watson, 26, is overseeing the organization’s campaign project Vidas Robadas, or “Stolen Lives” in Spanish.

“We decided to work on gun violence mostly due to Uvalde. That felt like a last straw for a lot of our board,” Watson says.

Vidas Robadas installations display dozens—or sometimes hundreds—of t-shirts in city gathering spaces, each with a name or symbol of a community member lost to gun violence. The campaigns can be really difficult, raw, and visceral to see in public, Watson says. 

In the early days of the project, he was uncomfortable with that.

“I did not want to be someone who was reopening wounds for communities,” Watson says. “But the overall response that we’ve had from – particularly communities who have experienced a lot of gun violence – is that they’ve felt seen, heard, and had a moment to actually grieve the people they’ve lost.”

Serena Ray with her artwork in Austin. [Credit: Serena Ray]

“Realistically, you know, that’s probably not what’s going to happen,” Watson says. “We are hopeful that it does affect legislators…and then also holds them accountable in terms of: ‘If you don’t address this, you are contributing to this loss that we’re experiencing.’” 

Statewide, organizations fighting to reduce gun violence are emphasizing the importance of being educated on local elections and bills proposed in the legislative session. 

Various university and student-focused groups, like March for Our Lives and Students Demand Action, aim to resolve this lack of engagement among young people.

“If you’re discouraged on the federal level, focus on a different level. Local government is always something we preach because that is somewhere you have a larger effect,” Watson says. “Get involved with your community. It is harder to demonize and get stuck in the polarized rhetoric with your neighbors and the people who you talk to. It’s harder to hate a face you know.”

Art as Advocacy

Inspired by artists like Frida Kahlo, Serena Ray, 17, founder of Austin Youth Gun Violence Awareness (Youth GVA), uses surrealism to raise awareness for issues she cares about.

Her portfolio features a range of pieces—some hopeful, and others heartbreaking. 

Artwork by Serena Ray shows a world where change is possible in Texas starting in the court room. [Credit: Serena Ray]

Another piece shows a bright courtroom with bills scattered around it. Words like “social justice,” “peace,” “awareness,” and “open mindset” make up the walls in colorful, childlike font.

“I’m a very color-focused artist, so I focus a lot on color theory and how that interacts with symbolism,” Ray expresses. “I do a lot of work with orange specifically because that’s the main gun violence awareness color.”

While many of Ray’s family are supportive of her work, she sometimes has to navigate difficult conversations with those who struggle to understand its importance.

“I have a lot of gun owners in my family. But, I have to explain that – especially the work that I’m doing – is not anti-gun, it’s pro-gun violence prevention,” Ray says. “Guns are such a divisive issue, especially in Texas. So I have definitely faced a bit of contention.”

However, being a student within the political space is a strength, Ray says. It helps uplift her voice and symbolizes to others that this issue is on the minds of young adults—and many children—nationwide.

“Activism doesn’t have to be such a scary front,” Ray says. Joining organizations like Moms Demand Action, which has local chapters, can make it less intimidating. 

“Or, if you’re someone that’s more into writing, there’s an option to write letters to the editors to different publications.”

Artwork by Serena Ray depicts someone worried about their future because of gun violence. [Credit: Serena Ray]

When We Fight, We Win

Ray, Moledina, and Spartz are collectively working on a toolkit and website that make the Texas legislative session easier to understand for the average resident.

It would act as a one-stop shop for finding information about how the session operates, state legislators, and high-priority bills that would affect young adults. 

Along with a coalition of volunteers, organizations, and fellow activists, Watson will join the three at the Texas capitol for Texas Advocacy Day on Feb. 27. 

“I would say if you are discouraged, you should take this as an opportunity to re-engage, ” Watson says. “Because if people don’t stay engaged, if people don’t care enough if they don’t join groups or do whatever you can—these issues are only going to continue to get worse.”

“The stakes are too high to disengage.”