Five Devastating Shootings in Seven Days: Deadly Gun Violence Across Texas Underscores Urgent Need for Stronger Gun Laws

AUSTIN, Texas - Today, Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, the Texas chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statement calling attention to a horrific trend of gun violence in Texas. In the first seven days of May alone, the state has been devastated by at least five devastating shootings, leaving communities from Amarillo to Houston reeling from preventable tragedies.

As of May 7, a snapshot of the month's devastating gun violence includes:

• In north Austin, a shooting left one person dead and four others wounded at a local restaurant during Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
• In San Antonio, a devastating murder-suicide left three people dead and one person hospitalized.
• In Dallas, back-to-back shootings at a shopping center and apartment complex left two people killed and three wounded.
• In Houston, two adults and two children were found dead in a murder-suicide, the children were eight and four years old.
• In Amarillo, two people were killed and ten others wounded when a gunman tried to enter an apartment party, opening fire with a rifle-style weapon.

Beyond the five shootings that have already devastated Texas this May, the state has recorded at least 18 murder-suicides involving firearms in 2026. The most recent tragedy occurred in San Antonio this past Tuesday. Current reporting indicates that Texas alone accounts for 10% of the nation's murder-suicides tracked by Gun Violence Archive this year.

"These five shootings in just seven days is not just a statistic, it's a moral failure and a direct consequence of Texas' weak gun laws," said Leslie Morrison, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. "While our communities mourn children, parents, and neighbors, our lawmakers continue to prioritize the gun lobby over public safety. We refuse to accept this as our reality. We need common-sense gun safety policy now, not more thoughts and prayers while the body count rises."

"Young people in Texas are growing up in a state where the next mass shooting feels like an inevitability rather than a rarity. It's terrifying that so many of these shootings have happened right in my backyard, and it's a reminder that for my generation, we never feel truly safe," said Giana Abraham, a volunteer with the University of Texas - Dallas group of Students Demand Action. "We are tired of looking for the nearest exit when we're at a party or shopping at the mall. We are sick and tired of our lives being treated as expendable. We demand a future where we don't have to fear for our lives every time we leave the house."

Texas currently has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, ranking 32nd in the nation. Tragically, the Lone Star state has also been home to four of the ten worst mass shootings since 2016.

Year after year, extremist lawmakers in Texas work to weaken the state's gun laws, rather than strengthen them, even as the state faces the 25th-highest rate of gun deaths in the nation. In recent years, state leadership has enacted "permitless carry" into law-allowing most Texans to carry handguns in public without a permit or safety training-and has consistently rejected "Red Flag" laws and universal background checks, despite overwhelming public support.

To save lives and prevent gun violence, advocates call on Texas lawmakers to reject gun-lobby backed policies and instead:

• Require background checks on all gun sales to close dangerous loopholes that allow prohibited purchasers from obtaining firearms.
• Implement Extreme Risk Protection Orders, also known as Red Flag laws, to temporarily remove firearms from individuals in crisis.
• Repeal Permitless Carry to ensure those carrying handguns in public have undergone a background check and basic safety training.

To speak with a volunteer with Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, please reach out to [email protected].