UVALDE 鈥� For most of his life, Ricky Freitag has been a hunter. From shooting his first hog when he was 10 years old to now teaching his own 10-year-old how to handle a firearm, it鈥檚 a tradition etched into his family.
His father and grandfather, who was a state game warden, introduced him to the sport. His father-in-law is an avid hunter, and Freitag often tags along with him. Freitag鈥檚 grandparents lived on a ranch, which made it easy to go hunting and learn how to use a gun.
In this South Texas town, many young boys grow up dreaming of that perfect shot.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 always been the culture here,鈥� Freitag, 31, said. 鈥淲hen I shot my first animal, it was just a surreal experience.鈥�
Longtime Uvalde residents say the city is a hunting mecca and the love for guns goes right along with it. For the last 40 years, the town has held its annual , which brings thousands of hunters together to talk game, eat food and raffle guns.
Uvalde 鈥� a mostly Latino city of about 15,000 residents between San Antonio and the border with Mexico 鈥� is an attractive location for hunters. Ranches, lush with wildlife like white-tailed deer, surround the city. Celebrities like singer-songwriter Ted Nugent hunt . Freitag himself hunts on a ranch about 8 miles out.
But after a shooter used an AR-style rifle to kill 21 people at Uvalde鈥檚 Robb Elementary School last week in what has become , some residents are rethinking what gun ownership means. Many here still believe firmly in their right to bear arms, but they are now saying they would be supportive of raising the age limit to attain weapons like the AR-15 or banning the weapon altogether. Others question whether these measures would be effective in preventing similar tragedies 鈥� but said they would still support them.
Proposals after the shooting
It remains to be seen how lawmakers will act in the wake of last week鈥檚 tragedy, but for now, Republican state leaders are signaling they will measures once again and instead try to steer the conversation toward offering mental health resources and .
Texas Democrats, on the other hand, have already called for a special session to , which would include raising the minimum age to purchase a gun from 18 to 21; requiring universal background checks for all firearm sales; implementing 鈥渞ed flag鈥� laws to allow the temporary removal of firearms from those who pose imminent danger; requiring a waiting period after purchasing a gun; and regulating civilian ownership of high-capacity magazines.
Gov. has said passed in the last session, which greatly expanded gun access, allowed the shooter to attain his guns. Abbott has said looking at the mental health resources that the state offers and increasing them is a priority.
Beto O鈥橰ourke, who is running against Abbott in November, is a big proponent of passing the type of legislation that the state鈥檚 Democrats have laid out.
In Uvalde, where guns are often used for home protection or hunting, opinions differ on what new gun laws would look like in the aftermath of the shooting.
Dolores Contreras, 75, who lives a few houses down from Robb Elementary, doesn鈥檛 own any guns herself but said she understands the culture and the need to own them in a town like this one. Her nephews hunt and have taken part in that sport since they were little.
Before the shooting, most of her safety concerns had little to do with gun violence and more with drug and human smuggling, she said. The town is located roughly 75 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and has recently seen an involving smugglers, local authorities have said.
But even then, there is no need for military-style assault rifles to be sold in Uvalde, she said.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no war here,鈥� Contreras said. 鈥淲hy even sell those guns? I don鈥檛 think that was right for [the gun store] to be selling those big, big guns.鈥�
Appetite for a middle ground
Hunting and gun ownership holds a sentimental value in the Freitag family. Some of Freitag鈥檚 guns were passed down to him from his grandfather, he said.
From an early age Freitag was taught that guns aren鈥檛 a toy 鈥� they鈥檙e something you have to respect.
Freitag has obtained all the correct licenses and taken shooting classes. He has always followed all gun safety and etiquette rules, like keeping his barrel down, never pointing a weapon at people and even picking up the shells after shooting. Freitag hopes to instill that respect and knowledge to his son.
鈥淢e growing up and actually having the opportunity to [hunt] 鈥� that鈥檚 something that I can maybe pass on to my kids,鈥� he said.
Freitag owns about 50 guns, ranging from hunting rifles to AR-15s, the same military-style weapon the gunman used in last week鈥檚 shooting. He said it鈥檚 easier to hunt wild pigs with that weapon.
While he understands why some people are calling to ban AR-15s, he and others would rather support legislation that raises the age when a person can buy one to 21.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun and that鈥檚 what we use it for,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know there鈥檚 the argument 鈥榃hy do people need that gun?鈥� Nobody needs anything. That鈥檚 just our right to buy and do what we choose to do with them.鈥�
Other than using guns for sport, Freitag usually carries a handgun as he goes about his day. His job in Uvalde is to tow cars and he says he needs the protection. Sometimes people get angry when he takes someone鈥檚 vehicle. Sometimes he鈥檚 working outside the city limits at 3 a.m. and he doesn鈥檛 know who or what he鈥檒l come across when it鈥檚 pitch dark. While he鈥檚 out at those times, his wife also keeps a gun handy.
Alex Covarrubias, a resident of Uvalde for more than 25 years, also has his own gun at home for protection. But before last week鈥檚 shooting, he never had really thought about the kinds of weapons that are available to people once they turn 18. Now he鈥檚 also calling for a change in the age limit to buy high-powered rifles that can cause so much harm in a matter of seconds.
Authorities say the gunman in last week鈥檚 shooting picked up a rifle at a nearby gun store shortly after his 18th birthday. That should鈥檝e been a warning sign, Covarrubias said.
鈥淭aking out a rifle on the first buy 鈥� it should have been a red flag right there,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 too big of a gun for here.鈥�
Authorities also say the shooter bought 375 rounds of 5.56-caliber , which should鈥檝e been another warning, Covarrubias said.
On the day of the shooting, it was found that the gunman had brought over 1,600 rounds of ammunition with him.
Freitag said the last time he bought ammunition was a couple years ago; he only buys about 100 rounds whenever he needs a refill, he said. He agreed that the amount of ammo the shooter bought was unusual and should鈥檝e been a red flag.
Skepticism about new rules
A longtime Uvalde resident, who asked The Texas Tribune not to use her name because she wants to teach in the local district and worried that her comments could risk her job search, said she doesn鈥檛 own a gun but has always lived in households that have them. She once dated someone who didn鈥檛 own a gun; she never felt quite safe when she was with him, she said.
But even though she is a strong believer in the right to bear arms, she said she doesn鈥檛 understand why guns can鈥檛 be further regulated. Instead, discussion about guns is black or white without any room for nuance.
鈥淲e sell drugs, we sell alcohol, we sell cigarettes and everybody has the right to them,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut they do harm people, they do cause death, so we have regulations. And the same should be for guns.鈥�
Freitag鈥檚 father-in-law, Rene Nolasco, 68, said he doesn鈥檛 think banning military-style assault rifles is the answer. He has one of his own, which he uses to shoot targets in an isolated range. He would be OK with raising the age limit to buy an assault rifle but doesn鈥檛 believe it will stop anything. Nor will banning AR-15 style guns.
Despite laws and policies, bad people will find ways to do harm, said Nolasco, whose brother is the county sheriff.
Nolasco also equated owning an assault rifle to owning a sports car: People don鈥檛 need sports cars to get around, but they like the way it feels to drive them.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just fun,鈥� Nolasco said about shooting an assault rifle. 鈥淚 know what kind of power my AR-15 has and I know how to use it.鈥�
Freitag believes part of the solution should be mandatory gun safety education, just like he received when he was growing up.
But while he agrees that some changes might be needed, he hopes they don鈥檛 hamper gun enthusiasts鈥� rights to bear weapons.
鈥淚鈥檇 hate for it to jeopardize avid gun carriers like us who abide by the laws and mean no harm to anyone,鈥� Freitag said.
