Texas Leaders Rebuke President Obama’s Remarks On Gun Regulation

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Ethan Couch's mom will return to Tarrant County by Friday; breaking down the state's open carry law; the taco cleanse is new diet; and more.

On Tuesday morning, President Obama detailed his plans to combat gun violence in the U.S., primarily with stricter background checks for gun buyers. In his address, he called for people on both sides of the issue to come together — not to discuss the past mass shootings but to prevent the next one. And he said while believing in the second amendment, he thinks the right should be balanced with other protections, NPR reported.

Here's the White House's video of the address:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myfByN5p928&feature=youtu.be

Following the address, Texas political leaders offered their opinions. Unlike the majority, U.S. Representative E.B. Johnson was not opposed to Obama's executive orders.

Attorney General Ken Paxton

Gov. Greg Abbott

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick

Sen.Ted Cruz

U.S. Rep. E.B. Johnson

Despite the quick responses, “no immediate official action was announced by state leaders,” The Texas Tribune reported. Read more reactions from state leaders from the Trib’s article. [NPR, Texas Tribune]

Tarrant County, you can take Tonya Couch back now. The mother of Ethan Couch — the 18-year-old fugitive currently being held in a Mexican jail — “‘waived her right to extradition’ in a Los Angeles court Tuesday morning, and can now be returned to Texas at any time,” according to the Star-Telegram. Ethan will remain in Mexico until Texas authorities retrieve Tonya. Authorities said she'll be back by the end of the week. She faces a felony fugitive charge in California on top of her felony hindering apprehension charge for allegedly helping her son “flee to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico after he missed a juvenile probation appointment,” The Star-Telegram reported. She'll be held on a $1 million bond, the Associated Press reported. See the timeline of the Couch case. [AP, Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

How well do you know open carry in Texas? There’s a lot of confusion surrounding it, so don’t feel bad. KERA’s Eric Aasen outlined what you need to know about the law and what it means for gun-toting Texans. Perhaps the most important thing to know: You can’t carry a gun anywhere you want. Actually, Central Track compiled a list of Dallas restaurants and businesses that are opting out of open carry. Learn more. [KERA News, Central Track]

What’s the Dallas Zoo like after hours? Meet the nighttime zookeeper, Roman Kantorek. The Dallas Morning News featured Kantorek, who has not only a unique “day” job, but also an interesting personal journey landing the job thirty years ago. “Kantorek had to leave Poland because of his involvement with a publishing house that printed books banned by the communist government. He secured political refugee status from the United States and landed in Texas in February 1986, thanks to the sponsorship of a Dallas family. By August, he’d found a job at the zoo.” Read more on Kantorek. [Dallas Morning News]

It’s a new year — time to try the latest diet: the taco cleanse. Four Texans ate nothing but tacos for a month and documented the diet in The Taco Cleanse: The Tortilla-Based Diet Proven to Change Your Life. The book includes recipes “dozens of taco recipes and a strategy for devoting 30 days to vegan tacos,” according to GuideLive. If you make it through, you can even print off a certificate signed by the four “taco scientists” themselves. [GuideLive]