Beto O’Rourke interrupts briefing, echoing U.S. gun debate
UVALDE, Texas — Surrounded by fellow Republicans on a high school stage, Gov. Greg Abbott was wrapping up his opening remarks about the killing of school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, when Beto O’Rourke strode forward from his seat in the audience. “Gov. Abbott, I have something to say,” the Democrat challenging Mr. Abbott for governor this fall said Wednesday, pointing a finger at his rival. “The time to stop the next shooting is right now, and you are doing nothing.” A mix of boos and cheers rose up from the crowd as the former congressman and 2020 presidential candidate briefly spoke, then was escorted from the room. Sen. Ted Cruz, standing behind Mr. Abbott, shook his head and said “sit down!” while one woman in the crowd chanted, “Let him speak.” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin yelled that Mr. O’Rourke was a “sick son of a bitch.” Some people cried. And with that, the briefing transformed into an argument similar to the one happening in many corners of America after yet another school shooting that inflicted a shocking death toll — 19 children and two teachers. Democrats want to talk about enacting restrictions on who can possess a firearm and what type of weapons should be available, while Republicans say such laws are meaningless and prefer to focus on other issues like school security — or to avoid the discussion at all. “We need all Texans to — in this one moment in time — put aside their own agendas, think of somebody other than ourselves, think about the people who are hurt,” Mr. Abbott said immediately after Mr. O’Rourke exited, his voice rising. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, taking the microphone moments later, insisted it was time now to focus on the victims and their families, adding: “This is not a partisan issue. This is not a political issue.” But for many — including those in the high school auditorium — the partisanship and the politics are inescapable. Tuesday’s mass shooting in the small town west of San Antonio, was just the latest to occur in Texas in recent years. After a gunman killed 23 people in a racist 2019 attack that targeted Hispanics at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas lawmakers loosened gun laws. Mr. Abbott said Wednesday that he considers the steps the Republican-controlled Legislature took in 2019 to be the “most profound” action anywhere in the U.S. to stop school shootings. He and other GOP officials said the proper place to focus is on mental health and “hardening schools,” or making them more secure, rather than on restricting guns. He called existing gun laws in Chicago, New York and California ineffective. “I hate to say this, but there are more people who are shot every weekend in Chicago than there are in schools in Texas. And we need to realize that people who think that ‘Well, maybe we just implement tougher gun laws’ is going to solve that — Chicago and LA and New York disprove that thesis,” he said. Meanwhile, O’Rourke stood outside in the parking lot, where he continued calling for gun control. “If we do nothing, we will continue to see this,” he said, “year after year, school after school, kid after kid.” Student arrested with gun outside school Just one day after the Uvalde massacre, a student in Richardson, Texas, was arrested inside his high school today after police received reports of an armed man walking toward the campus, police announced. No injuries or gunfire were reported. Berkner High School went on lockdown after police received reports of an armed man walking toward the high school Wednesday morning just before 11 a.m. Police also later found a pistol and a replica AR-15 style Orbeez rifle inside the suspect’s vehicle. Mr.Berkner was taken out of lockdown at 11:45 a.m. after Richardson police said it was safe to do so, the school said in a statement. A nearby elementary school that’s two minutes away from Berkner was also placed on a secure protocol, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported. No weapon was found inside the school, Berkner High School Principal Kristy Cage wrote in an email to parents. Police aren’t releasing the suspect’s identity because he is a minor. He’s been charged with unlawful carrying weapons in a weaponfree school zone. Trump vows to speak at NRA event Former President Donald Trump vowed to speak at this weekend’s National Rifle Association convention even after an 18-year-old gunman killed 21 people, including 19 children, at a Texas elementary school. Denouncing “politicians and partisanship,” Mr. Trump said he would appear as scheduled on Friday at the pro-gun group’s annual confab in Houston, about four hours east of the town of Uvalde where the slaughter unfolded. “Americans need real leadership and real solutions at this moment,” he wrote in a post on his new Truth Social platform. Mr. Trump echoed complaints by Republican leaders that Democrats are seeking to make political hay out of the latest horrifying attack. “We all continue to pray for the victims, their families and our entire nation,” Mr. Trump said. “We are all in this together!” Mr. Trump will be joined by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and other GOP leaders at the convention. Uvalde’s McConaughey calls for action Actor Matthew McConaughey issued a statement Wednesday calling for action after the shootings at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, his hometown. “As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs,” the Oscar-winning actor wrote. “We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue. This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better.” Last year, Mr. McConaughey put an end to rumors that he planned to run for Texas governor — but he did not rule out running for office in the future. In his Wednesday statement, he said the “true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘What is it that we can truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?’ ” Other prominent figures in entertainment have been more pointed in their responses to the tragedy. Writing that his words “ring so true and cut so deep,” pop singer Taylor Swift shared a video of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr demanding swift action Tuesday in response to several shootings over the past couple weeks, including the murder of 10 people in a predominantly Black part of Buffalo, N.Y., and the targeted attack at a Taiwanese congregation in Laguna Woods, Calif. “When are we going to do something? I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I’m tired of the moments of silence. Enough,” Mr. Kerr said, adding that there are “50 senators right now who refuse to vote on HR8,” a bill passed by the House two years ago expanding federal background checks for gun purchases and transfers.