Dallas County officials are pledging to take action to keep guns away from certain domestic abusers.
The commitment comes after the Dallas Morning News reported last week that lax enforcement left a gun in the hands of a man who shot a police officer and killed an ex-girlfriend last year while he had a protective order against him in a domestic abuse case.
Criminal court Judge Roberto Cañas said he was inspired to act after reading the story. He told the Morning News he would oversee the county’s efforts to keep guns out of the hands of batterers who have been convicted or are the subject of a protective order.
“I’m going to be that person,” Cañas told the newspaper Thursday. “I’m putting it on myself to be that.”
On another front, Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, is considering whether state law should be changed to help officials confiscate firearms.
“This is something we think everyone should get behind, regardless of party or political viewpoints,” Anchia’s Chief of Staff Liz Zornes told the paper. “No one is in favor of domestic violence.”
Dallas County officials said the firearms ban was difficult to enforce because of holes in the law.
Breshauna Jackson, 28, and her unborn child were gunned down by her ex-boyfriend Christopher Allen in April 2013. Allen, who was charged with murder, kept a gun in his car despite an order of protection against him.
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