Allen City Councilwoman Lauren Doherty Questions If City Could Have Stopped El Paso Mass Shooter
ALLEN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Dozens of Allen residents were expected to show up to Tuesday night's city council meeting to respond to one city council member's controversial comments about guns.
Lauren Doherty is proposing ideas in the wake of her city's connection to the El Paso mass shooter.
There's nothing on Tuesday night's agenda about guns, but it's expected to be a hot topic during the public comments after Doherty went public with controversial ideas.
Doherty said she has always supported stricter gun laws.
But when she learned the suspected El Paso mass murderer once lived just down the street, she publicly questioned whether her city could have done more to stop it.
Several people that I know have children and went to school with him," said Doherty. "Things are just getting a lot more tense than they were a couple of years ago."
Doherty wrote a newspaper editorial and posted on social media proposing ideas that include banning gun shows at the city-owned Allen Events Center, suggesting gun buy backs as well as supporting red flag laws.
"I think courage is really what's needed right now," she said. "I'm really passionate about really taking action and not just talking about things."
Doherty's proposals aren't sitting well in conservative Collin County where she's facing strong backlash.
One critic responded to her online with "your unicorns and fairy tale views of the world are a sign of total insanity."
"It's really shocking to see the way people talk to each other online," Doherty said.
Still, she's determined to push for change even if it means voters eventually push her out of office.
"If It means that don't get re-elected, at least I can know I did what I thought was right," she said.
One immediate change Doherty wants to see addressed by the city is prohibiting guns inside council meetings.
She is also wanting the city to do more to promote diversity which she believes can help bring the city together.
WATCH ERIN JONES' STORY ON TUESDAY NIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING
