The Senate Select Committee on Mass Violence met on December 4, 2019 to hear from the technology industry, mental health professionals, and law enforcement concerning reporting procedures and interagency/intercompany dialogue in the event of an incident of mass violence. The report below includes invited testimony.

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics the committee took up. This report is not a verbatim transcript of the hearing; it is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.

Invited Testimony

Thomas Foulkes, Entertainment Software Association

  • Authorities have found no causal link between real world violence and video games.
  • Although video games are played around the world, the United States is the only industrialized nation that experiences gun violence on this scale.
  • Our representatives have stressed this point in meetings with President Trump.
  • We encourage concerned parents to visit parentaltools.org to learn about the game rating system.
  • Zaffirini: What steps has the Association taken to educate children and parents about the impact of violent games?
    • The average player of games today is 35 years old.
    • Children are a smaller demographic of the industry.
    • Our ESRB rating system provides content descriptors – there is an app, online access, etc.
    • Parents can utilize this to make the decision about what to bring into their homes.
  • Zaffirini: Does the rating board continuously refine their ratings?
    • Absolutely. More specific descriptors are added.
  • Zaffirini: What has the industry done to study the impact of games on people with development disorders?
    • Our industry makes video games, we are not experts in mental health.
  • Zaffirini: Have you interacted with the community?
    • Yes, our community is very vocal.
  • Zaffirini: Do you have any research relative to your industry?
    • Edward Castronova at Indiana University studied this issue for 18 months.
    • He does not believe there is a link between games and violence that would support a policy change.
  • Nelson: What is the target age group for first-person shooters?
    • It depends, but the majority of them are M rated – making the target over 17.
  • Nelson: Is your experience that the more realistic the shooter is, the more successful the sales?
    • That depends on the audience.
    • Games that depict war are art imitating life.
    • The history of the world is violent. Violence is a key component in our narrative.
  • Nelson: What is the target age for sales of first-person shooter games?
    • That depends, but 18-24 is often the target.
  • Nelson: Some video games have a live chat feature. Is there a way for a user who is engaging in that chat to report another user that is indicating tendencies toward violent behavior?
    • That depends on the platform.
    • The chat can often be turned off, other players can be muted.
    • Some platforms are running a safe mode where curse words are deleted.
    • Concerning reporting, Safe2Tell is a program that started after Columbine.
    • Reporting on this platform has prevented disasters before.
  • Nelson: There are a lot of people that do not adhere to the rating system.
    • Parental controls need to be utilized by the parents.
  • Huffman: Do you see an uptick in sales after mass violence events?
    • We do not track that, but I could not say there is an uptick.
  • Whitmire: Some people want to make your industry the scapegoat rather than address the real problems of better background checks and red flag measures. Are you aware of this?
    • Yes, we are very much aware. That is why we participate in these conversations.
  • Whitmire: Have you considered being proactive about the real problems of mental health, weapons availability, etc.?
    • At the end of the day, we are video game developers. That is our expertise.
    • We do not have expertise to weigh in on those areas.
  • Huffman: No one here is looking for villains. We are making a sincere attempt to stop this.
  • Rodriguez: Your handout has a lot of studies suggesting no causal link, but there must be other studies suggesting the opposite.
    • There are. I would direct your attention to the meta studies – those which take the initial study and go deeper. They find that they are thin.
    • Justice Scalia has said that these studies have been rejected by every court that considers them because the connection cannot be made.
  • Rodriguez: Do you provide cautionary notes to parents?
    • Our rating system gives parents the tools to understand what is in the game and then make decisions as to whether to bring that game into their home.
  • Rodriguez: Is there any way for the industry to identify people who are violence prone?
    • I don’t know if it would be possible to predict outcomes based on gameplay.
    • The FBI did an extensive background check on Mr. Lanza following Newtown.
    • It was reported that he was obsessed with violent video games – however, when the report was made public, it was found that the one game he was obsessed with was a dancing game.
  • Zaffirini: Your sources go back to 2001. What are some studies conducted in 2018-19?
    • The Federal Commission on School Safety was released at the end of 2018.
    • The State of Vermont released a study at the beginning of 2019.
    • Indiana University also released a study this December.
  • Nelson: Are there experts who may disagree with you?
    • I’m sure there are. But I’m sure they would concede that it is part of a larger situation.
    • Video games are more prevalent today than they’ve ever been. Young males, the primary perpetrators of mass violence, are a large demographic of video game players. If they did not play them, it would be strange that they did not.
  • Nelson: My concern is that those that have a predisposition to violent behavior are affected by the game.
  • Rodriguez: Do the studies that say there is no causal link between video games and violence study persons with and without mental illness?
    • I cannot speak to that as I am not an expert in the meta-analysis of the studies.
  • Rodriguez: You cite studies in your fact sheet. Do they reference mental illness?
    • I do not know if there is any analysis on that.

Andy Keller, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

  • We must be careful generalizing about mass violence events as they are rare.
  • Mental illness is not a major driver of mass violence. Mental illness sometimes contributes to violence. Extreme acts are something any human being is capable of.
  • Factors other than mental illness, including ideology, personal grievance, anti-social traits, past trauma, and substance use can contribute to violent behavior.
  • If you have an anxiety disorder, you are less likely to commit violence.
  • Severe mental illnesses have a statistically higher correlation to violence.
    • It puts them at greater risk of being caught up into the other factors listed above.
  • Policymakers should be concerned with:
    • Untreated psychosis has a much higher correlation to murder – when that is treated, the risk goes away.
    • This should be a part of Medicaid.
    • It is reasonable to provide – less than a knee replacement.
    • SB 1177 allows an in-lieu-of option to increase access under the Medicaid program.
  • Huffman: What was the cost of that exceptional item?
    • Roughly $10 million
  • The most traumatized youth in our state are in the juvenile justice system.
  • Perry: Where does narcissism fall in terms of mental illness?
    • There is a type of person with an anti-social personality disorder.
    • This is a rare mental illness often associated with crime.
  • Perry: Hate fits under which subset?
    • Hate is part of being a human.
    • We can be ideologically trained to be hateful toward certain groups.
  • Perry: I love that you say everyone has the capacity. That is part in parcel to my faith.
  • Perry: How would you term a brain disorder?
    • I don’t believe anyone comes out of the womb without the ability to be empathetic.
    • Being guarded emotionally is a neutral trait.
  • Perry: What about an environment where everyone is a victim? Can this manifest in a violent reaction?
    • This is a complicated lens.
    • The one source of violence connected to whatever is happening with young people is suicide.
  • Perry: Even when you have students tearing down universities?
    • I don’t think anxiety and depression are associated with that.
    • Group identity or permissiveness are more likely to be factors there.
  • Perry: Even physically throwing a bomb?
    • If you get to that point, there will be belief and ideology.
  • Perry: There is probably some connection to anxiety disorders.
    • I would not say so.
  • Perry: Are the majority of cases you see in need of being institutionalized?
    • No. There are some in our state hospitals that we cannot help. But 2/3 of them get that way from long term psychosis.
    • Coordinated specialized care has three components: medication, interaction with parents, and skill building.
  • Perry: Have shooters exhibited behaviors that we may have caught if we had these systems in place?
    • The vast majority of people with a psychosis are not going to hurt everybody, but we need to get them the same treatment.
  • Perry: Two commonalities among mass shooters is that they’re male and seek locations that provide them with safety to carry out their act. What kind of mentality would lead someone to do that if they want to survive?
    • The factors I listed before would lead to such a scenario. 
    • I believe law enforcement could better answer what makes one setting better than another.
  • Nelson: We need to be careful not to impose a stigma on mental illness. Untreated psychosis usually presents at a young age?
    • Yes.
  • Nelson: Is there any time spent trying to find out if shooters have mental illness?
    • There has been a tremendous amount of time spent in that effort.
  • Nelson: Who would have access to the records necessary for that determination?
    • A good example is the recent US Secret Service report – they had access to that information.
  • Nelson: I read an article in USA Today that stated virtually all shooters were suicidal, do you agree?
    • Yes.
  • Nelson: They say the most common motivators of school shooters are revenge, glory, or both. We need to remind ourselves of that.
  • Whitmire: Help us define ‘mental health’ so we don’t overuse the term.
    • Mental illnesses are discreet, treatable health conditions.
    • 50% of us will develop a mental illness in our lifetime.
  • Whitmire: What can we do with the budget that will make a difference?
    • Multi-systemic therapy is the proper route.
    • Increase GR dollars for the remainder of those uninsured, improve Medicaid programs, use a public platform to inform employers.
  • Whitmire: Insurance coverage is necessary?
    • It is the purchaser. It’s not being covered in its entirety.
  • Whitmire: How is the increase of $10 million being used?
    • For people uninsured.
  • Whitmire: What if we improved state funding?
    • If you use state dollars, you’d reach 1/3.
  • Campbell: Gun-free zones seem to be the perfect target. Can you comment on which illicit substance is found on those who commit heinous crimes?
    • Prevalent substances are the most prevalently linked to violence – alcohol.
  • Campbell: What criteria would lead someone to carry out a crime in the name of a cult?
    • People who are susceptible to learning.
    • The same skills that made me a good student would make me a good cult member.
    • Trust is a factor.
  • Campbell: There are people that are vulnerable to this.
    • We need to train people to use facts and be thoughtful, engaged citizens.
  • Campbell: How are we going to train them?
    • There were a lot of investments into this last session.
    • We should look at what manifests of those investments.
  • Rodriguez: Are red flag laws tools you would consider to be useful?
    • There is a range in how those are implemented.
    • “Access to means” with respect to civil rights needs to be explored.
    • We are not aware of any evidence that the general prohibition of people with mental illness from purchasing guns has done any good.
  • Taylor: Does the mental health community have access to these violent offenders after the fact?
    • As researchers, we have access through published material.
    • State institutions are better equipped to answer your question.
    • The Secret Service was able to access reports, but there are privacy concerns.
  • Nelson: We are spending a lot of money on mental health.
  • Perry: Sometimes life is hard. Some people define trauma as everything. Critical thinking must be reinjected into the classroom. Students need to learn to question and challenge and not just be offended. Students today think they’re entitled to everything.
    • There is no evidence that someone who has experienced trauma will go on to live a less than wonderful life.
  • Zaffirini: If a mental illness diagnosis is not an indicator for a potential threat, what training should psychiatrists receive to identify the threat?
    • We would be happy to pull that information together.
  • Zaffirini: Do you have any recommendations for the committee regarding evidence-based warning signs?
    • Our training programs need to ensure that mental health professionals are comfortable with talking about violence and guns.
  • Campbell: How can we get more mental health providers for Texas?
    • Investments made last session are an important step.
  • Campbell: Do we have enough child psychologists?
    • We can implement new training programs, but those take years to see a change.
    • We should be doing everything we can to steal them from other states.

Judith Hunter, Metrocare Services

  • Enhanced programing for early psychosis (EPEP) is what we call coordinated specialized care.
  • It came to Texas as a 2014 pilot program – Harris and Dallas counties were recipients.
  • A year’s study was conducted of the program.
  • There was a 10% decrease in the symptom scale index.
  • There was a decrease in criminal justice involvement from 24% to 5%.
  • There was a decrease in hospitalization rates under the program from 29% to 5%.
  • Participation in the program was limited by the parameters of the grant.
  • We have only had one person come to us under the age of eighteen – they are not coming early enough.
  • Each team has 35 people – there is a pool of 2 million people in need of treatment.
  • We are working with HHSC to get another program funded.
  • Noticeable absent are high schools or other areas where psychosis could be identified earlier.
  • Whitmire: What do we do about the backlog?
    • Its less than ten people.
    • We do handoffs to other levels of service to ensure they receive follow ups and services in the interim.
  • Huffman: The belief is that some individuals with psychosis could become a person who would commit and act of mass violence.
    • That is potential.
  • Huffman: Do you feel your program is successful?
    • Yes. You cannot retrospectively prove you prevented something.
  • Perry: Most of your referrals are coming through the incarceration system?
    • No, they are from local hospitals.
  • Perry: But they may have gotten them from incarceration.
    • That is possible.
  • Perry: What is your dropout rate?
    • In the original study, the dropout rate was 50%.
  • Perry: How many in the current program?
    • The original 50% that stayed has graduated the program.
  • Perry: Are they onto a higher or lower level of care?
    • Lower.
  • Perry: Could a parent commit a child?
    • The parents would authorize it.
  • Rodriguez: Did you indicate why there is a notable absence from schools and colleges?
    • I do not know why.
  • Rodriguez: Is that not something the program should follow up on?
    • In Dallas county, the community center does not provide health in the school system.
  • Zaffirini: Was there intent to develop the pilot program into a statewide study?
    • I do not know.
  • Zaffirini: Dr. Keller, is there any way you can relate the findings of this study to your studies on mass violence?
    • The reductions in symptoms and justice involvement all point to the control people are able to gain through this treatment.
    • That speaks to the ability to restore these people to the trajectory they otherwise would have been on.

Joseph Penn, Texas Society of Psychiatric Physicians

  • It is difficult to imagine a mentally healthy person carrying out mass violence, therefore mentally ill are stigmatized.
  • Substance abuse is the elephant in the room when it comes to violence.
  • The overall best predictor of future violence is past violence.
  • There is not a one-size-fits-all measurement tool for predicting mass violence.
  • The forensic psychiatry workforce is ageing and needs to grow.
  • We have submitted to HHSC a request for additional funding for fellowships.
  • The issue of reporting needs to be understood – people are afraid of violating privacy laws.
  • There is a misconception that psych meds cause people to be violent.
    • Only 12% of school shooters were on psych meds.
  • Whitmire: How many of the shooters needed to be on meds?
    • That is a great point. We need to partner with educational institutions to better identify these kids.
  • RAND has found that increased access to firearms increases the suicide rate.
  • The Consortium on Risk Bask Firearm Policy recommends:
    • The strengthening of state law to prevent individuals from purchasing a firearm after being involuntarily hospitalized and providing a timeline for removal of that bar.
    • Restrictions on the ability to purchase firearms following violent offenses.
    • Develop a mechanism to allow law enforcement to remove firearms when a threat of harm is identified.
    • Family should have the ability to remove firearms if threat of violence is present.
  • Perry: Many of your recommendations are in place, just not followed. If I show up in your office and make a threat to my own workplace, you cannot report that to DPS?
    • If that were to be brought up, the person can be held for 72 hours.
  • Perry: Do you, as a psychiatric professional, can you call local law enforcement and turn that information over?
    • Yes.
  • Whitmire: There are many cases where if we had identified these people beforehand and gotten them treatment, they would not have committed crimes and now be in the correctional system.
    • You are correct.
    • At TDCJ, we have become the state hospital of Texas.
  • Zaffirini: Should emotional disturbance of a child be added to the mandatory treatment provisions for health insurance?
    • Yes.
  • Zaffirini: How would you define animal cruelty?
    • Any kind of cruelty to animals.
    • A lot of the time, it comes down to how the patient recounts that cruelty. If there was a gleam in their eye, for example.
  • Nelson: Does substance abuse need to be addressed by this committee?
    • Yes.
  • Huffman: We would like the reports of the organizations you are representing for our own report.
  • Perry: Are ADD medications considered psychotropic?
    • Yes.
  • Perry: Does psychotropic rewire the brain?
    • We are not sure exactly how they work.
  • Perry: If someone quits taking these, is it a worse result than if they never took them?
    • Psych meds are not the culprit.
  • Perry: Psychotropics are not the cause, sure. But you’ve also said that we really don’t know.
    • ADHD lasts, for some, into adulthood.
    • Collateral information is needed.
  • Perry: We don’t know what we don’t know.

Diana Quintana, Harris County Juvenile Department

  • There are few opportunities to get MST in the community.
  • In Harris county, you must be in the justice system.
  • Our MST program costs roughly $1 million per year.
  • If kids did not go into the program, they would go into a replacement program that costs more.
  • We maintain this program but are unable to expand it.
  • We asked our judges what they would expand, unanimously they said MST.
  • Huffman: Do you have a way to reaching kids before they perform violence?
    • It is not available unless you are arrested.
    • We want to provide this program for the entire community.
  • Managed care organizations can help make MST available for the community.
  • Whitmire: State facilities cannot provide MST to these kids. Is Harris county still sending psychiatric cases out of state?
    • We do maintain contracts with out of state facilities.
  • Whitmire: We are failing kids if we cannot house them in Texas.
    • Sometimes we do not find treatment alternatives within the state.
    • It has become a last resort.
  • Whitmire: If we had additional MST programming, my concerns would be addressed.
    • Yes.
  • Perry: Until someone makes the decision to change, they will remain in the system. RTCs may not be the solution.
    • Keller: We need residential treatment centers. I have never seen a double-blind study that showed we need RTCs. Why do we need RTCs then? MST only works if there is an adult in the child’s life. You need both.

David Edmonson, TechNet

Ana Martinez, Facebook

Ron Barnes, Google

Jen Scully, Microsoft

Steve McCraw, TX Department of Public Safety

  • We have been asked to update on the Governor’s executive orders, directives, and additional items – we will focus on key items.
  • We are in the legal review phase of the domestic terror threat assessment.
  • The Governor has expanded that task from domestic terrorism to an all mass casualty assessment.
  • This is a Department coordinated, but joint assessment – we worked with federal and local entities.
  • The attacks of 9/11 demonstrated a lack of intelligence sharing.
  • We established fusion centers as a result of this.
  • Fusion centers are nothing more than intelligence centers.
  • Fusion implies it is multi-agency.
  • The Legislature has long ago ensured that we protect privacy and civil liberties. Homeland Security audits this piece as well.
  • One thing we focused on after 9/11 in fusion centers was the collection of suspicious activity reports.
  • It is important that the Joint Terrorism Task Force receive our suspicious activity reports, so we integrated with the FBI’s iGuardian system.
  • We know how to do the judicial process – we don’t need a center of excellence to tell us how to do it.
  • What we need is cooperation from tech companies to get the information back in a timely manner.
  • Twitter’s machine learning is flagging content and then removing it.
  • We want that same machine learning to detect threats to life and then notify LE of those attacks.
  • We can’t hire enough analysts and police officers.
  • The private sector can develop algorithms and machine learning to save lives.
  • We don’t monitor protected speech, as much as we hate it.
  • We look for threats but cannot just stare at a forum because we don’t like the subject matter.
  • The best way to detect these threats is to have the threat referred to us.
  • Nelson: You said you need cooperation. What change can we ask to garner a closer relationship between LE and tech?
    • We want them to use their machine learning to detect threats and then notify us of them.
  • Nelson: Are there suspected offenses that may require a subpoena?
    • The FBI and DPS have examples where they did not respond in a timely manner.
  • Nelson: If you subpoenaed records from a tech company, how long would it take them to respond?
    • It shouldn’t take any.
    • I will provide you the example of a threat we received where, by the time we received info from the tech company, the hour had already passed.
  • Perry: One group told us a subpoena request takes on average 14 days. Is that accurate?
    • Yes.
  • Perry: When they say its immediately transferred to authorities, does that give you everything you need to move forward?
    • We’ve been given information on an imminent threat that did not include enough information where we could provide a subpoena.
    • If we don’t know who the threat is from or against, we cannot act.
  • Perry: Is that universal or anecdotal?
    • Anecdotal, two examples. But it only takes one.
  • Perry: Have you made record of threats that are not credible?
    • The overwhelming majority of them are not credible.
    • Over 95% are not credible.
  • Perry: I’m trying to understand how many they think are not credible and not send to you. If you have information they don’t have, then maybe you’ll know the threat is credible.
    • This is why information sharing is critical.

Michael Davis, Houston Fusion Center

  • I agree with everything the Director said.
  • On August 3, I got notified of a Threat to Life (TTL) that took place twelve hours before.
  • The provider in this case, Snapchat, got with JTTF and resolved the issue.
  • Rarely do we see information from providers directly.
  • When you have 2 million people on your platform, it’s difficult – but not impossible.
  • We have a group that does nothing but warrants and subpoenas.
  • Once we receive a threat, it takes about an hour and a half to vet its credibility.
  • Typically, we get a response in 30 minutes.
  • Huffman: Is that after you’ve marked it as an emergency?
    • Yes.
  • 10-14 days is for a criminal case.
  • Oftentimes we’ll get an IP address back that is from a VPN – we can’t use that for location.
  • Huffman: Most of the information you get is from individuals bringing it to your attention, not from the companies themselves.
    • Snapchat has given us information, but I cannot recall another company.
  • Huffman: They said an ‘appropriate’ law enforcement agency. Maybe the fusion center is not the one getting tipped off.
    • That could very well be.
    • McCraw: We’ve had some come through the FBI’s program.
  • Huffman: It sounds like there’s a gap in reporting to the appropriate agency.
    • McCraw: They have been gracious in many ways.
  • Nelson: Is there anything technologically that would help you do your job better?
    • I’d love to see the companies work with the FBI and Secret Service to identify indicators, how they are reflected in the digital world, and then work with them to develop systems that identify and refer (not kick off) to the appropriate authority so we can respond.
    • In the fight against ISIS, social media companies have been very effective in combating online radicalization. They can do the same thing with threats to life.
  • We met with Texas City ISD and mental health professionals recently.
  • At the school level, when you can intervene in the life of a child who has demonstrated disturbing patterns of behavior, you’ve done a wonderful thing.
  • Reporting from mental health professionals is a big help.

Thomas Munoz, Texas City Emergency Manager

  • Texas City produces 13% of the nation’s fuel – this is a terror target we must monitor.
  • The Port of Galveston is a big target due to tourism and industry.
  • Mass violence is an epidemic.
  • We’ve had stakeholder exercises that include school districts.
  • We’re looking at the mental health component in schools.
  • The most valuable infrastructure is our citizens.
  • Stress management is needed for first responders.
  • Intelligence sharing is important.
  • I recommend looking at having a regional intelligence center in coordination with DPS that would share intelligence.

Brian Goetschius, Galveston County Constable Office

  • This is my plan for a behavioral assessment team:
  • We need the local DA’s office to act as a legal advisor for orders.
  • We need crime analysts with the ability of the fusion centers.
  • CPS cooperation would be helpful – they have information we don’t get in LE.
  • Administrative assistants can collect and disseminate this information.
  • Every educational facility has their own behavioral assessment team.
  • They maintain records of people who drop out or have another incident.
  • Taylor: This is a fusion center combined with mental health.
  • Zaffirini: Is the Gulf Coast Center a part of your template?
    • Munoz: The Gulf Coast Center now takes the lead in disaster response. The idea is to utilize that agency to work with LE. Combining mental health with LE in the fusion centers.
  • Zaffirini: If we use this as a template, it would be substituted with a local authority?
    • Munoz: Yes, each region has their own mental health authority.

Michael Matranga, TCISD Security & School Safety

  • Our ISD has hardened school security at all campuses.
  • The Houston fusion center does a great job of collecting information – but they cannot cover their whole area.
  • I ask that you allow us to have our own intelligence center along the coast.
  • Texas City is a major target for terrorism and mass violence.
  • A significant amount of Texas’ soft targets are there.
  • I propose we utilize the building of a former school in our area.
  • We cannot depend upon TEA to govern themselves.
  • We need a separate governing body that oversees the implementation of SB 11.
  • Educators are not security experts.
  • Gave examples of security incidents involving students where past indicators were present.
  • 90% of school attackers are inside, yet we pump money into keeping people from entering.
  • Perry: This is a financial and pride issue. We need to be honest that every district has these issues. TEA takes their marching orders from us. We have turned the district over to the kids and taken it away from adults.
    • I know some districts will not change unless there are consequences.
  • Perry: I disagree. If the consequence of the kid being killed is not enough, they’re in the wrong business.
    • There are consequences, but they do not respect them.
    • I just gave examples of arrests that did not have to happen if someone would have intervened.
    • Most of them can be prevented, we just have to track the kids and their behaviors.
    • Most shootings had previous incidents of disciplinary actions.
  • Campbell: What type of discipline would be effective?
    • We need to follow the policies already set in place.
  • Campbell: Policies the ISDs have would work if followed?
    • Yes. The administration not upholding the policy is the problem.
  • Campbell: Phones in the classroom?
    • I don’t believe phones should be in the classroom.
  • Campbell: What do you think about gun free zone signs?
    • McCraw: There are not enough law enforcement around.
    • McCraw: There is value if another citizen can step in and stop a shooter.
  • We use technology to our advantage in Texas City.

Public Testimony

Travis Scott, Everbridge

  • Many agencies in Texas are using Everbridge to communicate in emergencies.
  • However, some are using other tools besides Everbridge.
  • This creates problems when attempting to communicate across platforms.
  • Better communication, using a single platform, will help prevent mass violence.
  • This is being done in the entire state of New York, Vermont, Connecticut, and is now being implemented in California.
  • I want to encourage a comprehensive statewide communication strategy in Texas.
  • Campbell: How does this platform work?
    • It is a statewide system for communication.
    • Rural districts have a problem with communicating across platforms – a unified system would alleviate that problem.
  • Campbell: Who heads this up?
    • It varies from state to state.
    • Local control is essential so that the local entities can send out the messages they need.
    • As a backup, the state would have the ability to support.

Kris Virgin, DialCare Mental Wellness

  • DialCare Student Mental Wellness is built to offer access for middle and high school students to have access to mental health professionals via web or mobile app.
  • We welcome the opportunity for further discussion.
  • Campbell: This is tele-behavioral medicine?
    • Yes.
  • Campbell: Who credentials the providers?
    • We do and we provide protocols and state standards.
  • Campbell: Do you prescribe medicine?
    • No.
  • Campbell: Who pays for this?
    • The ISDs.

Liz Hanks, Moms Demand Action

  • The committee is hoping that social media and symptoms of mental illness will help them understand mass violence.
  • We already have data needed to lower mass violence in Texas.
  • Intimate partner abuse is connected to mass shootings.
  • Nearly 1 million alive today have been shot at by a partner, and 4 million report being threatened with a gun.
  • Over the past decade, 54% of cases of mass violence also include intimate partners.

John Bolgiano, Self

  • Orwell’s 1984 was written as a warning, not a procedures manual.
  • I am worried about the meshing of digital sources with law enforcement surveillance systems.
  • Facebook and Google disdain political thought and speech.

Gretchen Browne, Moms Demand Action

  • Mass violence is not indicative of a mental health problem.
  • Those with mental illness are much more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators.
  • Rates of mental illness are roughly the same throughout the world.
  • The difference in the United States is our access to guns.
  • Campbell: All mass violence is not because of guns, what would you recommend for that caused by guns/knives/etc.?
    • The two incidents that triggered these meetings were carried out with guns.
  • Campbell: We would then fall back to what would be the cause?
    • Access to guns is the difference.

Eric Schafer, Self

  • A recurring theme of these meetings is being unable to find the common thread in the violence.
  • Law enforcement has reported that if there is someone at a mass violence event with a gun, they can prevent the violence.
  • If I’m in danger, it’s my responsibility to protect myself.

David Carter, Self

  • Your charter does not mention schools.
  • The entities mentioned can only nibble around the edges.
  • Moody ISD has put a sign that staff are armed.
  • Mall attacks have been cut short by armed citizens.

Lee Spiller, Citizens Commission on Human Rights Texas

  • Violence was thwarted when someone reported and did something about it.
  • Gathering mental health records does not prevent violence.

Frances Schenkkan, Gun Sense

  • My recommendations are to restrict ‘ghost guns’, disarm domestic abusers, close the gun show loophole, prohibit irresponsible firearm behaviors, create a red flag law.
  • These laws cannot pass unless in session – urge the Governor to call a special session.

Michael Belsick, Self

  • Mr. Foulkes is biased.
  • When I was a kid, mass violence was unheard of.
  • Society has changed, not guns.

Bradley Hodges, Self

  • Red flag laws create illegal domestic spying on Americans.

Ruth York, Tea Party Patriots of Eastland County

  • Our members look at the fusion centers and LE intrusion and ask ourselves, ‘which novel would Orwell write if he were here today’.

Camille Gibson, Self

  • We do not have research connecting video game use with mass violence.
  • If we will not restrict access to weapons, then we need to teach kids how to react in a mass violence event.

Robert Zufall, Self

  • As a police officer, I was under the impression that those I detained were getting the same treatment as other mental health patient.
  • I was detained and did not receive good treatment.
  • Unproven threat assessments raise questions for me.

Rick Briscoe, Open Carry Texas

  • There is government malfeasance in all school incidents.
  • Legislators do not want to take care of business.
  • Our organization has been subject to unlawful surveillance.

Sean Sheridan, Self

  • In high school, someone falsely accused me of planning to bomb the school.
  • I don’t want my daughter to be expelled from school because there are photos of her going to the range with me on social media.
  • At Columbine, the police failed to protect anyone.
  • Eliminate gun free zones.

Glenn Fortner, Parent Project

  • I am dedicated to my faith and family.
  • Parent Project saved our family.

Linnea Fortner, Parent Project

  • Our relationship with our son has improved since we joined the Parent Project.
  • If active shooters had good parents, I doubt they would have become active shooters.

Emma Trimble, Peace Ministries

  • Schools must be made to abide by mandates.
  • DAP, truancy, and calls to truant officers indicate problems.
  • Consider visiting with the Parent Project.

Gary Teal, Self

  • We cannot look at this problem as if it were the largest problem we’re facing.
  • More people are killed by drunk drivers.
  • Advice of psychiatrists won’t help.

Sheila Hemphill, Self

  • There is a connection between psychiatric drugs and disfunction in our classroom.

Angela Smith, Self

  • Mass violence is a rare event.

Sylvia Guzman, Amigos de Patriots

  • If we take away the right of women to carry a gun, we are taking away the right for them to protect themselves.
  • We need to look at ‘Easter eggs’ that are hidden inside video games.

Braxton Fuller, Self

  • The mental health epidemic has spread across the country.
  • As the LE panel suggested, more mental health professionals are needed in school.

Melissa Holmes, Self

  • Mental illness is not a driver of mass violence events.
  • Other countries have similar rates of mental illness and video game play – the difference is access to firearms.

Amy Hedtke, Self

  • Crime research proves that gun-free zones are the common denominator.

Wesley Virdell, Self

  • Government will never be the solution.

Committee adjourned.