Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo is being criticized this week after he ripped into Senate Republicans, accusing them of delaying legislation for the benefit of the NRA, this after one of his officers was killed in the line-of-duty over the weekend while responding to a domestic abuse call.
Acevedo accused lawmakers at a news conference Monday of not doing their part to prevent the death of Sgt. Christopher Brewster, 32, who was fatally shot by Arturo Solis Saturday night.
“We all know in law enforcement that one of the biggest reasons that the Senate and Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn and Tex Cruz and others are not getting into a room and having a conference committee with the House and getting the Violence Against Women’s Act is because the NRA (National Rifle Association) doesn’t like the fact we want to take firearms out of the hands of boyfriends that abuse their girlfriends,” Acevedo said.
“And who killed our sergeant? A boyfriend abusing his girlfriend. So you’re either here for women and children and our daughters and our sisters and our aunts or you’re here for the NRA.”
Acevedo was referring to a bill aimed at helping victims of domestic and sexual violence that has stalled in the Senate due to a provision which ends the “boyfriend loophole” and makes it easier to take away guns from violent offenders, even if they are not a spouse or domestic partner.
The NRA has opposed this provision.
