♪ ♪ >> horror in uvalde texas >> narrator: one year after the uvalde school massacre... >> after a gunman kills 19 elementary school students and two adults... >> narrator: futuro media's maria hinojosa examines the police response. >> the officers understood that the weapon was a war style weapon. >> its initial purpose was to kill humans efficiently it is very good at that. that is why it is so popular in mass shootings. >> narrator: the community trauma... >> at this point, families should be at home grieving, but nstead we're still out here demanding change. >> don't be silent! >> narrator: and the demands for change. >> enough is enough.

do something now! >> so, what are you telling the families? >> hope for everything, expect nothing, and hopefully we get a little bit of something. >> would you vote to raise the age? >> today i would not. >> narrator: now, on frontline, in collaboration with the “texas tribune” -- “after uvalde: ns, grief and texas politics. >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. additional support iprovided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism... park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues... the john d. and catherine t macarthur foundation committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more at macfound.org.

and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. and additional support from koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. ♪ ♪ >> maria hinojosa: every two years, the texas legislature comes to session. (metal detector buzzes) >> let's go, raiders! (clapping in rhythm) let's go, raiders! let's go, ttu! >> hinojosa: it's early 2023, and the capitol is a busy place. >> let's go, raiders!

>> the senate of the 88th legislative session will come to order. >> hinojosa: lawmakers are voting on bills about everything from the cost of fuel to property taxes. many without controversy. >> is there an objection to the adoption of the resolution? the chair hears none, the resolution's adopted. >> hinojosa: but in this session, the legislature is also facing the divisive of issue of guns. >> it's none of your business how many guns i own. >> hinojosa: after one of the deadliest school shootings in history. >> we defend the constitution. >> we do everything to protect these guns. let's just try something to protect our children. (crying) ♪ ♪ >> an unimaginable tragedy in texas. >> a gunman opened fire at robb elementary... >> hinojosa: on may 24, 2022, accounts of yet another mass shooting in our country began to hit the news. >> armed with a long rifle, clad in body armor...

>> hinojosa: within days of his 18th birthday, a young man legally bought two ar-15-style weapons and, a week later, walked into his old fourth-grade classroom... >> (over radio): male subject with an ar! >> hinojosa: ...and opened fire. >> death toll in the uvalde school massacre stands at 19 kids, two adults. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: shortly after the massacre, i did a story about the uvalde shooting for my podcast "latino u.s.a." (on podcast): today, uvalde resiste. (narration): i spoke to many people who were reeling from the tragedy. >> everybody's devastated. >> hinojosa (on podcast): i'm so sorry for your loss, george. >> gracias, pray for uvalde.

>> hinojosa (narration): for the last year, i haven't been able to stop thinking about these families and about uvalde. there are still so many questions. what, if anything, could have been done to prevent this tragedy? and how is this predominantly latino community responding? the thing about uvalde is that it is any place, u.s.a., with the strip and fast food, et cetera. and now it's on the map for this horrific tragedy. the first big sign that you see is for the oasis outback. it looks like it's a restaurant. the thing is that it's a restaurant that also has a gun shop. it's also where the ar-15 that was used in the massacre was picked up from.

i need to know, what does a place like uvalde do after a horrific tragedy like this? what do you do? ♪ ♪ >> robb elementary parents, this phone call is for you. please know at this time robb elementary is under a lockdown status due to gunshots in the area. the students and staff are safe in the building. this building is secure in a lockdown status. >> hojosa: gladys gonzales was one of hundreds of parents who received this automated message on the morning of may 24. >> i didn't know, really, what was going on. soon after, i received a call from my husband. he tells me, you know,

there is a gunman inside the school. and just not knowing how my daughter was or what, where she was, it was just, it was the worst feeling. >> hinojosa: gladys's ten-year-old daughter caitlyne was in the fourth grade. >> she had a phone. i kept calling her, i kept messaging her. >> hinojosa: you had no idea if caitlyne was alive? >> i didn't know. i didn't know until maybe two or three hours later. >> hinojosa: what have you learned about what caitlyne experienced? >> caitlyn was in room 106, and it was a room that was across where the massacre happened. from what her teacher has told me, the kids huddled together close to her desk. she remembers a lot of the screams

and, you know, a lot of the chaos. she could hear the police out in the hallways. >> hinojosa: gladys learned that officers broke the windows of classrooms across the hall from the gunman and began evacuating students. >> i got another kid! you're okay, buddy, you're okay, we're gonna get you over this, all right? >> (yelling) >> hinojosa: caitlyne was one of them. >> all the way to the fence, all the way to the fence! >> hinojosa: so what happened when you actually were able to finally see and meet up with caitlyne? >> she just gave me the biggest hug. she gave me the biggest hug and i told her, "you're safe now, mama. mommy's here." >> the shooter, 18, is dea >> some families are getting that news they didn't want to receive this evening. >> that night, my husband and i didn't sleep at all, just watching the news. >> horror in uvalde, texas, tonight

after a gunman kills 19 elementary school students and two adults. >> tonight, as investigators gathervidence, we are learning about some of the victims. >> caitlyne wakes up and she said, "i wonder where jackie is." (tearfully): by then, i already knew. (sniffles) >> hinojosa: caitlyne lost many of her friends on may 24, including her very best friend, nine-year-old jackie cazares. the two of them had been inseparable for years. do you mind if i use my fingers? >> i don't mind at all. >> hinojosa: i don't really know what i'm doing. but i'm going to figure it out. i'm inspired by you, 'cause you're, like, the artist here. >> back where you live in new york, do you hear chickens? >> hinojosa: no. >> (laughs) >> hinojosa: what do you think i need to do?

>> mmm, maybe some red-- no, yellow, yellow. >> hinojosa: kind of sprinkled throughout? >> mm-hmm. >> hinojosa: so tell me about your bff. tell me more about jackie. >> she was funny. her laugh was funny-- she snorted. >> hinojosa: well, when did you meet? >> oh, she was on a swing, and she was playing by herself, so i asked her if she wanted to play with me. and she said yes, and then we kept talking, and... yeah. >> hinojosa: do you talk to caitlyne about that day? >> (voice trembling): i try not to bring it up, and, but there's just a part of her that has become obsessed in wanting to understand what happened. why they didn't go in when they had the chance.

>> hinojosa: that's a very profound obsession for a ten-year-old to have. >> yeah. you know, the one place where she was supposed to have been safe and she wasn't. ♪ ♪ heroic accounts of how officers responded played out in the news. >> the bottom line is that law enforcement was there. they did engage immediately. they did contain him in the classroom. >> they showed amazing courage by running toward gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives. >> hinojosa: but soon, those accounts came under scrutiny. >> tonight, there are questions about why it took so long for a tactical team to enter robb elementary school. >> nearly 400 officers at the scene took more than 75 minutes to neutralize the gunman. >> hinojosa: caitlyne's father, nef gonzales, still can't understand why officers waited so long.

>> i'm an army veteran. that's what they instilled in me, is to protect. i really feel that if i was there, i would have stopped the threat somehow. >> when you take an oath to protect and serve, you do so knowing that in any time, any minute of the hour, your life can be cut short. and it didn't happen. it didn't happen. why? >> parents are making fresh demands for accountability. >> we're angry. we're very angry, and we want justice for our kids. >> when my niece was in that classroom, dying, waiting for you to help, where were you? >> hinojosa: the events of may 24 were captured on dozens of cameras.

hours of police body camera and serity footage. for the past several months, we've been working with reporters at "the texas tribune" who obtained and reviewed much of that footage. >> this video footage shows what the police response was to the shooting. >> hinojosa: give me the timing of this? >> sure, so this particular moment is about three minutes after the shooter enters the school. he has already fired about 100 rounds inside those two adjoining classrooms he has entered. this is when the first officers enter the school. so i'm going to play that. there will be gunfire in it. >> (panting) >> (speaking indistinctly) (panting)

(gun firing) >> (yelps) >> he fires at them, two officers, both struck with fragments that pass through the door, through the walls of the classroom, and drives them back. and that's a really important thing to understand, because it affects how they respond the rest of the way. >> (panting) (gun firing) >> hinojosa: oh, my god. dios mio. those particular gunshots that we hear, will these officers immediately know, "oh, that's an ar-15?" >> if you are someone who's experienced with guns, like, you would know, "oh, that was a rifle." (radio beeps) >> careful with the windows facing east! have a male subject with an ar. >> okay, so, this is where the response starts to fall apart.

the officers station themselves at the end of this hallway. after they're initially driven back, they don't reengage the shooter. that is not what they are trained to do. since the columbine shooting in 1999, they're supposed to engage active shooters until they are subdued. they do not wait for backup. they do not wait for more equipment. the more time you wait, the more people can get killed and the people that wounded can die. you do not wait for anything. that is what's supposed to happen, and it's very clearly what does not happen here. you can see as i scrub through, over the next 40 minutes, more officers arrive. more officers arrive. more rifles arrive. a shield arrives. two more shields arrive, more officers arrive. most, if not all, of the killing took place before police had the opportunity to intervene.

but there's a lot of evidence that builds throughout this time that, yes, there are students and teachers in the classroom, that some of them have been shot, and that some of them need immediate medical attention. even when, like, more reliable information is coming out about the seriousness of the situation, that information is not flowing well among police. (gun firing) but they are well aware that these type of rounds, because of their high velocity, will penetrate their normal body armor. >> hinojosa: i don't know if i've really heard emphasized in much of the coverage or reporting that the ar-15 can shoot through regular police body armor. >> (talking indistinctly) >> hinojosa: "the texas tribune" obtained interviews with officers conducted as part of federal and state investigations into the shooting.

>> this type of rifle was originally designed for military use. its initial purpose was to kill humans efficiently. it is very good at that. that is why it is so popular in mass shootings. >> hinojosa: and in wars. >> and in wars. (film music playing) >> this the armalite ar-10, the modern combat rifle. >> hinojosa: in the 1950s, the ar-10 was developed as a military rifle. then its successor, the ar-15, was made available to civilians and marketed to hunters and sportsmen. but in the 1980s, gun companies expanded their outreach to law enforcement and people who feared a rise in crime.

purchase of the weapon was banned ut the law expired after a decade. over the years, this type of gun has become a weapon of choice for mass shooters. ar 15 style firearms were used in las vegas, san bernardino, parkland, buffalo, and pittsburgh. in 2022, seven of the 12 mass shootings in the u.s. involved at least one ar-15-style weapon. images obtained by "the texas tribune" show that the uvalde gunman researched the ar-15 and the ease of purchasing it once he turned 18. on his birthday and the days after, he was able to legally buy two ar-15-style weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

>> ready, dude? give me five. (laughs softly) >> hinojosa: as the city's only pediatrician, dr. roy guerrero has cared for many of uvalde's children since they were babies. >> so if anyone asks you, you're three-foot-six. sound good? >> hinojosa: and he has seen firsthand just how much damage the ar-15 can do. so it's may 24, 2022. just talk to me about that morning. >> so i get to the hospital, i know something's wrong, because there's doctors and nurses running everywhere. there's a few people that are injured, they're stabilized. there's these kids with minor injuries. and then you start to wonder, where is everybody else? so i asked one of the nurses, "all these kids i see here, is this everyone that's here?" they're, like, "no, there are some deceased children in, in the back." so they took me back there,

and that's truly when i realize the caliber of what these weapons can do to a child's body. so, imagine a child who's decapitated. that's it-- what else do i have to tell you? huge chest wounds, where it seems like, you know, someone bore a hand through the whole chest. (hinojosa exhales softly) >> the only consolance i have to myself is maybe it was so fast that they didn't have time to, to suffer, that they went quickly. maybnot peacefully, but quickly. >> hinojosa: i mean, you're reduced to saying that to parents. >> mm-hmm. what else can i do? right? 'cause i couldn't have done anything for them that day. nothing. there's people saying, "well, maybe we should show "the mortuary pictures of these kids "that were taken after they passed, "pictures of these kids in their coffins, pictures of the funerals." >> hinojosa: emmett till's mother made a decision to have an open casket. >> mm-hmm.

>> hinojosa: and it kind of changed history. >> maybe that's what it takes. whether you want to believe it or not, this is what happened at day. these type of weapons, they're able to inflict so much damage and death so quickly and ferociously compared to other weapons. and if you turn 18 in texas, you can go buy one tomorrow. >> hinojosa: what do you want to see immediately? i mean, if, is there something tangible, that you're, like, at a minimum... >> mm... (chuckles) ultimately, what i would want is a ban. that's the ultimate goal, which i know i'm not going to get. i think it's going to take a few brave people at the state level to where we can start to get our voices heard. >> hinojosa: in the republican- led legislature in texas, the idea of restricting access to guns is typically a non-starter. it's a deeply polarizing issue. (people talking in background) but after uvalde,

some demrats have been trying to crack open the door. they've introduced two separate bills in the senate and the house to raise the legal age to purchase certain weapons, like the ar-15, from 18 to 21. >> we're going to go into a strategy session with the families-- i need a room and a hotel where we can have lunch, or in a restaurant. >> hinojosa: the author of the senate bill, roland gutierrez, arrived in uvalde just hours after the shooting. >> i got there on day one, and i stood there as families were informed that their children had passed on. i heard screams that i'd never heard in my life. they haunt me still today. it shouldn't be partisan. how in the world can we not have a law that says an 18-year-old shouldn't have this type of weapo we have an age limit on a handgun. an 18-year-old can't go buy a handgun,

but he can go buy an ar-15. put your head around that one. >> hinojosa: so you believe that just raising the age from 18 to 21 is the bare minimum that possibly could happen? >> i think it can happen, and that's why we filed it. it's not gonna prevent this from happening again, but let's make it a . those folks in uvalde are not asking for the moon and stars here. they're asking for a little bit of common sense. >> hinojosa: but what the senator calls "common sense" is considered a violation by many republicans and gun owners in texas. what is your opinion about the bill? >> to raise the age? >> hinojosa: to raise the age. >> we are against it, we, we don't think it's a good idea. >> hinojosa: what is your major concern? >> major concern is an infringement on our second amendment rights. we have people in the state government, we have people in the federal government that are trying to take away our rights. we think that they swore an oath to the constitution,

and they are failing to honor their, their oath to the constitution. >> hinojosa: should it be easy for an 18-year-old to get an assault weapon in the state of texas? >> i think it should be easy for an 18-year-old to get a weapon to defend himself from somebody who wants to do him harm. so, yeah. >> hinojosa: so you don't... >> we already have laws that are against murder. this kid didn't care, so if you make a law that says he can't get a gun at 18, guess what? he doesn't care what the law is. he's going to go get a gun from somewhere. >> hinojosa: so what do you say to the parents as a solution? >> we advocate that governments allow teachers to get the training and to carry into schools. >> hinojosa: so you're just, like, what should have happened in uvalde is, there should have been a teacher in that classroom with an assault rifle. >> yeah, or close to it. we've learned through time, you can't wait on law enforcement to show up and save you-- you got to be your own personal self-defense. >> governor greg abbott says the state can't raise the minimum age to purchase ar-style rifles as some have clearly pushed for, especially in the wake of the uvalde school shooting.

>> it is clear that the gun control law that they are seeking in uvalde, as much as they may want it, it has already been ruled to be unconstitutional. >> hinojosa: governor abbott has said that the bill that you support is a violation of the second amendment. >> that might be his opinion. fact is, states can regulate guns. >> hinojosa: in the wake of mass shootings, some states have changed laws. several have restricted access. >> no 18-year-old can walk in on their birthday and walk out with an ar-15. those days are over . >> we will require all individuals purchasing firearms to be 21 or older. >> hinojosa: while others have loosened regulations. >> a new law making it easier to get a handgun in north carolina. >> guns now welcome in the pews. >> hinojosa: despite the uphill battle in texas,

a group of local families from uvalde havetepped into the spotlight to push for new gun restrictions. >> we demand governor abbott call a special session to raise the minimum age. >> raise the minimum age to purchase assault weapons to 21. >> these laws should have changed a long time ago. (audience cheering) >> hinojosa: even students from robb elementary, like caitlyne gonzales, have spoken out. >> you have to be 21 to buy a case of beer, but an 18-year-old bought a gun to kill kids. that does not make sense. (audience cheers and applauds) >> hinojosa: caitlyne first discovered the power of her voice when families confronted the uvalde school board about the actions of their police chief on the day of the massacre. >> if a law enforcement's job is to protect and serve, why didn't they protect and serve my friends and teachers on may 24? (audience members cheer and applaud)

i have messages for pete arredondo and all the law enforcement that were there that date: turn in your badge and step down! you don't deserve to wear one! (audience cheering and applauding) >> hinojosa: before they adjourned, the school board voted to fire the police chief, who decried the motion and insisted officers tried to keep the children safe. not everyone in uvalde supported the termination, or the calls for more gun restrictions. but for some, the demand for change continued. >> we discussed having demonstrations, you know, having picket lines... >> hinojosa: lalo castillo, a longstanding activist and community member, has been supporting the efforts. >> now we've gotta figure out what's gonna be the next step. when this tragedy happened, i saw that the, the families were very upset.

so i started getting involved. >> at this point, families should at home grieving, but instead, we're still out here demanding change. it's hard to just stay still and not do anything when you've been affected. >> we need to fight for it, we need to stand up for it, and atever it takes. whatever it takes. >> hinojosa: caitlyne, what's going on for you as you're looking at this, and here at, at thiseeting? >> it's amazing. >> hinojosa: what do you feel in your heart? >> proud of them. >> hinojosa: you're proud of them. because... >> they use their voice like i'm using mine. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: there's a long history of this kind of activism in uvalde. >> those are students, they're coming out of class. >> wait! there's my school! >> yeah.

>> hinojosa: in 1970, lalo castillo helped organize one of the longest school walkoutsn american history. hundreds of students protested across uvalde after one of the only lati teachers was let go from robb elementary. >> whoa, that's a lot people. >> in order for something like that to be effective, you've got to have the numbers. >> how long did it last? >> the walkout lasted six weeks. ♪ ♪ >> this is an old scrapbook that i kept from the high school. this is me my sophomore year. >> hinojosa: maria elena martinez was 15 when she joined the walkout. >> then we were to leave the campus. (camera shutter clicking) >> hinojosa: she and many of her fellow students were taking what they called "a stand against pervasive discrimination" after years of poor treatment in the uvalde school system. so tell me what it was like growing up,

and you're speaking spanish. >> it was certainly discouraged, and you were punished verbally, physically. my first-grade teacher, if you spoke spanish, she would slap you with a wet ruler on your calf. and it would sting, would hurt. in the seventh grade, one teacher, she would say, "stop looking at me. "you're a bunch of donkeys and cows with those big brown eyes. put your heads down." (snickers) you know, that was in junior high. i experienced a lot of things that were not right, that were unjust, that were abusive. we said, you know, "basta, enough is enough." >> hinojosa: the students' demands included bilingual education, better treatment of students, and the hiring of more mexican american teachers. >> we walked out to jeers and sneers. texas rangers would come by, and nudge you, pull the rifle close to you.

and there were helicopters, as well, and they'd zoom over, and there would be police and texas rangers onhe roof with rifles, pointing guns at us. that was scary. but we stayed looking forward and marching. it was a movement towards fairness, justice, and equality for all. just like the constitution says. >> hinojosa: in the end, none of the students' demands were met, but uvalde would begin to transform. what changed after the walkout in uvalde? >> well, actually, nothing changed. we had to force the change. one of the things that, that happened was when that, during the walkout, we created a lot of activists. some of these youngsters ran for office--

city council, city mayor, the school board-- and a lot of change took place because that. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: if you think about what's hapning now in uvalde, and you think about what happened in uvalde in 1970, in both cases, the children are rising up. >> yes. >> hinojosa: one out of injustice and one out of grief. >> grief and tragedy, yup. >> whoa, they did it in the rain? >> oh, yeah! ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: when you think about the fact that now caitlyne is listening to you, saying, "i want to know more, lalo." >> i love it. i mean, if one person, you know, takes the torch and runs with it, i'm totally satisfied. ♪ ♪

>> hinojosa: caitlyne has quickly become one of the most visible faces of the movement for the proposed gun laws. alongside her mom, they've taken their fight to the capitol. >> don't be silent! >> end gun violence! >> don't be silent! >> end gun violence! >> hinojosa: on this day, outside the legislature, they are joined by more than a dozen uvalde families and relatives of mass shooting victims from all around the country. >> (chanting): raise the age! raise the age! raise the age! >> i want to introduce you to the strongest people i've ever met in my life, and they are these people that are behind me today. do not forget the names of their children. we're here to tell this governor: do something to avoid the killing of our children, do something to make it harder for an 18-year-old to access an ar-15. do something now!

(audience joins in): do something now! do something now! do something now! (speaking alone): thank you and thank these families from the bottom of our hearts. (audience cheers and applauds) >> caitlyne gonzales. (audience cheers and applauds) >> go, caitlyne! >> good afternoon. on may 24, everything changed. as soon as we got to our class we heard the gunshots. (voice breaking): he wobbled my... he wobbled my... (sobbing) (audience calling out support) >> you don't have to finish... >> want me to finish it for you? >> (whimpers) (audience shouts encouragement) >> take your time! >> we love you! >> caitlyne, look at me while you're telling them. tell me the story. (audience continues) >> (voice breaking): he wobbled the doorknob. he banged on my door.

i heard, i remember hearing my best friend scream. (crying): and the next day, i got the news from my mom. (sniffles): the worst news that any child should get. i shouldn't have to be here speaking. i'm only ten years old. but i am, because my friends have no voice no more. thank you for your guys's time, have a wonderful day. (audience cheering and applauding) ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: after the rally, caitlyne and the families spend the day at the capitol, lobbying and meeting with lawmakers. ♪ ♪ they get a cordial reception, but no commitments. so what happens next? >> the bill has been referred to the state affairs committee.

we're talking to the chairman i've told my staff we're going to exhaust ourselves for the next 90 days, 'cause that's all that's left. it's 90 days, and nothing gets done for another two years. >> hinojosa: so what are you telling the families when they come, and they have the energy, and there's a protest, and, and you're saying...? >> hope for everything, expect nothing, and hopefully we get a little bit of something. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: the fate of the similar bill in the house was also uncertain. >> particularly in texas, there is this constant fear of all-powerful government, and we don't like being told what to do. >> hinojosa: representative travis clardy is a republican lawmaker who's been in the legislature for over a decade, and has previously sat on the public safety committee. >> we're talking about limiting in a prospective way when someone can buy a firearm. that's going to do nothing to the huge inventory

of weapons already in private hands in, in the public domain. i own guns-- i'm not saying how many. i could probably outfit the invasion of a small caribbean island. i'm not the exception. in texas, i'm the rule. >> hinojosa: munderstanding of my time with some of the families in uvalde is that they actually own guns. >> mm-hmm. >> hinojosa: so they're in support of people having guns. they're not saying take away the guns. >> no, no, no. >> hinojosa: they're not saying, you know, ban all assault weapons. what they're simply saying is, raise the age. >> i think that's a measure that we can look at and we ought to look at. i think there's broad support for it, but i don't want any... >> hinojosa: but, but here in the legislature... >> but i also don't want anybody to think that that is going to be a panacea. >> hinojosa: would you vote to raise the age? >> you know, right now... today, i would not. today, i would not. but i will tell you that that day may come. one of the reasons i would not want to do it today is, i want to get back home and have those conversations with the people i represent.

i think what i will hear people saying, "i'm against any registration. "i'm against these things. "don't limit what i can buy. "i shouldn't have to do anything else. but it should be 21." i think even in rural east texas, there is a general acceptance that there's some wisdom in that. we can't keep doing the same thing and fall back into the same routine. so how do we break out of that cycle? how do we come up with solutions that will work in a complicated world? ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: the reporters at the "ibune" have been analyzing the actions of lawmakers in texas after incidents like uvalde. >> we wanted to know legislatively what happens after those mass shootings. we counted at least 19 mass shootings and here is where, you know, we started in 1966 with the u.t. tower shooting. and, and you can see, as the years go on, they seem to be more frequent.

the number of people killed and injured is going up. we see that the types of weapons are increasingly semi-automatic rifles. we came up with a list of at least two dozen bills that could have made it illegal for the, the shooter to acquire that firearm legally. >> hinojosa: so in 1966, at the university of texas at austin. >> terror rained down from the tower. thuniversity campus resembled a battlefield. >> hinojosa: is there any legislation that actually makes it to the floor as a result then? >> no. >> hinojosa: okay, and then, 1991, the luby's shooting. that's 23 people. >> a gunman goes on rampage in a texas cafeteria, the worst mass shooting in american history. >> hinojosa: did any legislation make it to the floor? >> no. >> hinojosa: then you have the fort hood shootings in 2009. (sirens blaring) >> tornado sirens signal the attack on the massive army post. >> hinojosa: 13 people killed. did any legislation make it to the floor?

>> in terms of gun control, no. >> hinojosa: so basically, the final status of all of these bills, over and over again, is: didn't make it to the floor, didn't make it to the floor, didn't make it to the floor. nothing happened. >> nothing happened, no. you know, there's always the argument that you hear from lawmakers, "well, if someone really wants to commit such a act, they're going to find a way no matter what." but what we found is that at least it wouldn't have been legal for them to acquired it. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: six of the mass shootings "the texas tribune" and "propublica" had analyzed took place while the current governor has been in office, one of them another school shooting. >> the honorable greg abbott! (audience cheers and applauds) >> hinojosa: in his 2019 state of the state speech, governor abbott responded to the shooting in santa fe. he didn't mention the divisive issue of guns, but focused instead on what he pointed to as the real problem.

>> now, when it comes to school safety, there is one issue, one solution that everybody agreed upon-- the need to address mental health in our schools. many of our, of our universities already have mental health programs to identify and remove students who pose a potential threat, and to provide studes with the help they need. well, school districts across the entire state deserve access to these very same services. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: the same year, 2019, the governor approved a telehealth program called tchatt that launched in some school districts. counselors were trained to spot red flags that a teenager might be on a dangerous path and connect them to mental health support-- a teenager like the gunman who attacked robb elementary.

♪ ♪ a report from the texas house of representatives investigative committee provides details of a troubled past. two separate witnesses, a girlfriend and a cousin, said he talked about suicide. the report states that he had developed "sociopathic tendencies" and had missed more than a hundred days of school before being kicked out for poor performance and lack of attendance. we can't know if the tchatt intervention program would have made a difference. the first wave of funding was not enough to expand the program statewide. so tchatt didn't reach uvalde until after the massacre. (bell chiming hour)

in this session, the texas legislature proposed billions of dollars of increased spending on mental health in the state. (bell continues) at the university of texas at austin, professor jim henson has been tracking the politics around gun policy and mental health. >> what we're seeing now is a willingness in this legislative session to spend more money on mental health, to talk about mental health. it resonates as a non-gun-related explanation and remedy for mass shootings that will work for republican policymakers and republican candidates. they would like to have some appearance of bipartisan cooperation. mental health is a great avenue for that, because democrats are going to be amenable to legislate on mental health even if it means trading off on gun policy. >> hinojosa: you've been watching the capitol, texas state politics for a long time. do you think that the families and their activism

can, in fact, change the politics? >> well, i think it's a tall order. i'm, i'm honestly a little bit skeptical at this point. there are some very deeply embedded patterns in these attitudes among republicans and democrats in texas that are, you know, meeting with the institutional reality of what we're seeing in partisan politics in the state right now. >> hinojosa: i wanted to talk to governor abbott about the gun proposals and the politics. (voicemail tone beeps) it's maria hinojosa. we would really appreciate it if the governor would sit down with us and answer a couple of questions. we'd really like to hear from him directly. i would love hear back from you. thank you. (narration): he didn't agree to an interview. ♪ ♪ is this where you come to talk to jackie? >> mm-hmm. >> hinojosa: on one of my last visits to uvalde,

gladys and caitlyne take me to the cemetery to visit her best friend, jackie. >> you ready? (screaming, laughing) whee! let's make hearts. (narration): for so many here, it's a place that has become as familiar as home. and now for jackie. >> yup. (lighter clicks) ♪ ♪ we feel you, jackie! >> so pretty. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: almost a year has passed since the uvalde massacre. for those who hoped this tragedy would be a tipping point and result in changes when it comes to gun laws, time is running out. there's only six weeks left in the session. so, senator, when we were last here,

there was supposed to be potentially movement on your bill, 145. >> that's right. >> hinojosa: will it make it through to the floor for any debate in this session? >> it's not likely-- it's not likely. it's quite obvious that they are not willing to have a conversation, at least in the texas senate, on common-sense gun safety solutions. >> hinojosa: while the senate bill appears to have stalled, lawmakers in the house have agreed to hear testimony from uvalde families. ♪ ♪ >> the speaker of the house made a decision that we should hear these people out. they deserve at least that moment to tell their story. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: so do you feel the families' activism has actually led to a change? >> i believe that it's led to a point where we're having this hearing.

that's something. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: 17 other bills are scheduled to be heard. it would be a long day before the families would get their turn to testify. >> select committee on community safe will come to order. chair now lays out... >> hinojosa: while i wait, i get a chance to speak to jackie's parents, gloria and javier cazares. >> we're not trying to take anybody's guns away. it's just gone on for so lon that we have to meet somewhere in the middle. and how is raising the age not in the middle? >> i'm a gun owner. i can still carry. we just want to make this a better and safer place for my daughter, not anymore, but somebody else's child. >> hinojosa: how many times have you been to this state capitol? >> you know, we come at least twice a month, maybe three times a month. it's, it's lost count. >> we've met parents from different shootings

and a lot of them have been doing this for years. we've only been doing this for 11 months, and we're exhausted, but we're not giving up. >> hinojosa: hours pass. >> for, um, uh, scheduling purposes, after this bill, we've got a few more witnesses on this one, and then we're gonna go to... ♪ ♪ chair now lays out house bill 2744. >> hinojosa: then, just before 10:00 p.m.... >> chair now recognizes chairman king to expin the measure. >> hinojosa: ...democrat tracy o. king explains why he authored the bill. >> i'm a gun guy. and the last time we had a big campaign, the nra endorsed me. i have an a rating with the nra, or i did up until this session. but at 11:30, más o menos, on may 24, 2022, everything changed.

ladies and gentlemen, had house bill 2744 been the law in the state of texa that attacker would not have been able to buy that weapon. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: one by one, the families from uvalde come forward to address the committee. >> (crying): i wonder if, on may 24... (sniffles): ...you watched coverage of uvalde unfold and wondered what you could have done to prevent this tragedy. did you imagine what it would feel like to bury your child? ♪ ♪ >> i saw my nine-year-old daughter draped in a white sheet, cold and alone in an operating room. i saw the wound that took her life. >> i had no idea that "i love you, daddy" would be the last words i would ever hear come out of her little mouth. (sniffles) >> (voice trembling): i'm just a mom.

i'm not even sure which one of you exactly are, sometimes are democratic or republican, 'cause i don't care. i just don't want any of you to sit here where i'm sitting. (crying): i don't want you to have to identify your child's body based on what he was wearing to school that day. enough is enough-- please do something. do something now. thank you. >> all right, thank you. ♪ ♪ >> hinojosa: opponents of the bill also come forward. >> tara mica, representative of the nra opposed to house bill 2744. we represent 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds who are not mass shooters. >> our military is 18 to 20 years old for the most part. you're saying that they aren't mature enough to own a gun.

>> raising the age to 21 will not change the fact that murder is already illegal and someone who is intent on murder will not be deterred from committing murder just because the age to purchase was raised. >> i don't want to create false hope in a bill that will ultimately be found unconstitutional. i do think we need to find a solution that will stay permanent. >> i do believe its a mental problem, and it, it seems to be getting worse in this country. ♪ ♪ >> the problem is not the gun. >> hinojosa: these voices on both sides, they reflect the deep divisions when it comes to guns in this country. and even after tragedies like uvalde, the only thing that seems certain is that something like it is bound to happen again. before the legislative session ended texas,

there were yet more deaths from assault weapons in the state. five people shot and killed in east texas. and eight people gunned down at a mall outside of dallas, including three children. ♪ ♪ days after the second shooting, the house committee voted to advance the bill one step closer to consideration by the full house. >> hinojosa: two republicans joined the effort. >> (sobbing) >> hinojosa: it was an emotional moment for the families, but it was largely symbolic. ♪ ♪ in the end, when the 88th legislative session closed on may 29, neither the house bill nor the senate bill made it to the floor.

♪ ♪ itill be another two years before the families can try again. >> go to pbs.org/frontline for more reporting from our partners at the “texas tribune”" >> that is what's supposed to happen and it's very clearly what does not happen here. >> and see all our coverage about the issue of guns in america. visit the entire frontline archive where you can stream more than 300 documentaries. connect with frontline on facebook, instagram and twitter and stream anytime on the pbs app, youtube or pbs.org/frontline. >> a truck is driving a car goes underneath it and the destation is horrible. >> narrator: frontline and propublica investigate deadly truck accidents. >> why do you think we're still stuck in this place where we

need more study about the sideguards? >> unfortunately, resources are not limitless. >> and the fight for refor >> a few hundred dollars per trailer is going to put these companies out of business. are you kidding me? next time, on frontline. >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism... park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues... the john d. and catherine t macarthur foundation committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more at macfound.org. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from

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♪ ♪ candy: i grew up with the american dream. erika: but all asian immigrants were denied the right of naturalized citizenship and with the exclusion act, the chinese became the first undocumented immigrants. candy: the american dream is a lovely dream to have and so people continue to aspire; enduring whatever it is that they've got to do as immigrants. helen: japanese americans fought on the side the united states, while the rest of their family was incarcerated. erika: legal challenges were so important because they did not have political power. and as much as tragedy is a part of our heritage here, so is possibility. man: asian voices are coming out. alex: you've got these young people fighting to