By Gabriella Borter

UVALDE Texas (Reuters). Guns are a regular part of Texas life. Uvalde is a Republican-leaning Texas corner in the Hill Country. Hunting is a favorite pastime. There are plenty of gun stores.

Even after an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle-wielding gunman shot and killed two teachers, 19 children from elementary schools in the United States this week, support for the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is strong.

Interviews with over a dozen people since the attack revealed that they support raising the gun buying age to 21, requiring stricter background checks, and making it more difficult to acquire assault rifles.

Virginia Aguilar (43), whose 7 year-old son was at school when the Robb Elementary School shooting took place, stated that background checks are necessary to determine if potential gun buyers are mentally healthy.

“I think in order to give somebody the privilege of having a gun in their home, they need to see that they’re stable,” she said as she sold jewelry in a Uvalde boutique on Thursday.

Aguilar, however, expressed reservations about the effectiveness of stricter regulations. “Everybody’s going to find a loophole to getting a gun,” she said.

Some people suggested stronger school security could be more effective than stricter firearm regulations. Some others said that tougher gun laws could cause division, even though they were personally supportive.

“I don’t think gun reform’s going to do anything,” said Harry Rabe, 59, a retired power company employee. “All it’s going to do is make everybody mad because everybody in this town owns guns, they all hunt, they all use them.”

It was far too late for many Uvalde residents, who were still feeling raw emotions, to contemplate public policy change.

“Now isn’t the right time,” said Norma Velasquez 57, a baker. She was tearing up at her shopping basket as she recalled two children who were killed in the attack. Xavier Lopez, a distant relative, and Ameriejo Garza who used to go with her grandmother to get cakes from Velasquez.

DEBATE ON ASSAULT WEAPON

Salvador Ramos (18 years old) was an ex-high school dropout. He legally purchased two rifles along with 375 rounds and ammunition days prior to the attack on the elementary school.

Jay Spears (67 years old hunting guide) stated, “I think that assault weapons such as that, there should be special permits, a procedure for anyone to own one.”

The national political discussion over guns laws, including the proposed bans on assault weapons, has intensified since Tuesday’s shooting. Texas lawmakers have passed legislation last year that allows open firearms carry without the need for a permit or training.

Texas permits guns to be purchased from non-licensed vendors, including gun show sellers.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott cancelled Friday’s personal appearance at National Rifle Association’s annual convention, Houston. However, he made prerecorded comments against any new gun laws.

The Republican Governor stated that there are “thousands of laws in the United States” that do not stop school shootings.

Lori Nalepa Martinez, a Uvalde nurse said that the massacre which had affected nearly everyone in her community convinced her to implement strict gun reforms, like banning assault rifle sales, immediately.

She also stated that she would support the arming of teachers. This strategy was supported by Texas conservatives, but rejected by researchers and gun control advocates.

“I would totally be okay with that, and I’ve never been a gun person, but it’s made me reconsider that,” said Martinez, whose three children had attended Robb Elementary.

Spears the hunting guide agreed that he’d like tighter school security, such as metal detectors and armed educators.

He said, “When the kids arrive in the mornings have a few of them to check them like you do at airport – boom boom boom, boom! – and make sure no one’s bringing in any handguns.”