Community Safety

As a civil rights attorney who has worked on these issues first hand, I know there is no shortage of solutions. We deserve leaders with the courage to take action. Throughout my career I have fought to reform policing with an emphasis on accountability, trust, and training. At the same time, I have prioritized keeping our community safe from violent crime through data driven measures, not through fear. My approach protects our civil rights, addresses the root causes of crime, and supports a community policing model for public safety. In addition, we must be honest about the number one threat to our public safety right now, which is gun violence. Whether it’s sending our kids to school, enjoying a movie, or going to the mall -- Americans live in fear of gun violence. I will never forget May 24th, 2022 when 19 elementary kids and two teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School, just as I have not forgotten the shootings at the Allen Outlet Mall, Tyler Courthouse, Sulphur Springs, Ft. Hood, and El Paso. The worst part is that this list could go on and on. We don’t lack ideas as much as we do courage. Both Democrats and Republicans need to break away from politics as usual especially when lives are literally on the line. I know the commonsense gun safety measures I support have widespread support in Texas and across the nation as people are fed up with living in fear. When I served one term in the Texas House, my signature bill was Breonna’s Bill to ban no-knock warrants in Texas, with few exceptions. I’ve reintroduced this bill on the federal level as the Justice For Breonna Taylor Act. Two of my strongest allies and partners who helped build the bipartisan coalition included law enforcement groups and gun rights organizations. Both of these groups were on receiving ends of fire during no-knock raids and knew how ineffective, chaotic, and dangerous these raids were for all involved, including the police. In the Senate, I will continue working with a broad and bipartisan coalition of stakeholders to push through meaningful change.

Senate Priorities

Focus on crime prevention by addressing root causes and drivers of crime such as mental health, access to education, nutrition, housing, and employment.
Support incentives for police departments who hire from within the local community
Establish national use of force guidelines.
Ban no-knock warrants nationwide with limited exceptions under special circumstances.
Provide federal block grants for law enforcement to purchase body cameras, uniforms, and facilitate evidence-based best practice trainings.
Require background checks for every gun sale so Texas families are protected no matter where or how a firearm is purchased.
Close dangerous loopholes in our federal gun laws that allow weapons to fall into the wrong hands.
Boost funding for safe firearm storage and awareness campaigns to prevent tragedies.
Setting a national age of 21 to purchase assault rifles tied to receiving federal dollars.
Re-establish an Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Department of Justice to coordinate federal efforts, support state and local partners in Texas, and finally treat gun violence like the epidemic it is.
Decriminalize mental health crises across Texas by funding co-responder programs where state and local law enforcement work alongside trained mental health professionals to respond to people in crisis.

My Work in the United States Congress

While serving in Congress, I’ve already started tackling these issues. My work in Congress:

I co-sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to hold police accountable, ban dangerous practices, and restore trust between law enforcement and communities.
I co-sponsored the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act to ban no-knock warrants in federal drug cases and strengthen accountability to prevent deadly police misconduct
I took action and cosponsored the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act to permanently ban the use of bump stocks that convert rifles into machine guns.
I stood amongst my colleagues and cosponsored the Raise the Age Act to increase the age to 21 to purchase certain semiautomatic centerfire firearms.
I proudly supported and cosponsored the Federal Firearm Licensee Act to update the laws governing licensed firearm dealers by requiring physical security measures to prevent firearm theft.
I cosponsored the Bipartisan Background Checks Act to require a background check for every firearm sale.
I helped advance the effort to end gun violence by cosponsoring the Enhanced Background Checks Act to expand requirements for background checks and reduce loopholes to help ensure people who are a danger to themselves or others can’t get a firearm.
I was honored to cosponsored Ethan’s Law to create federal standards for safe gun storage to prevent unintentional shootings, suicide, or other gun violence.
I co-sponsored the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025, to regulate assault weapons and reduce the presence of weapons of war on American streets.
I co-sponsored the School Violence Prevention Act to create comprehensive, school-based programs that help prevent gun violence by supporting students most at risk in our communities and schools.