Governor heckled by rival to ‘stop this now’ after school shooting
Democrats renew calls for stricter gun laws while Republicans accuse them of ‘politicising’ massacre
A NEWS conference held in the wake of the Texas school shooting descended into chaos yesterday after the governor was heckled by Beto O’rourke, the former Democrat presidential candidate.
Nineteen primary school children and two adults were murdered at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday.
As Greg Abbott, the Republican governor, was giving an update in an auditorium there Mr O’rourke, who is running for the governorship in November, approached the stage.
Jabbing his finger at his rival Mr Abbott, he said: “Governor Abbott, I have to say something. The time to stop the next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing. This is totally predictable. This is on you.
“Someone needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday.”
Ted Cruz, the Republican Texas senator, standing behind Mr Abbott on the stage, shook his head and told Mr O’rourke: “Sit down, don’t play this stuff.”
As Mr O’rourke continued to berate officials Don Mclaughlin, the mayor of Uvalde, shouted: “Get his a-- out of here. You’re out of line. I can’t believe
‘The idea that an 18-year-old can walk into a store and buy assault weapons is just wrong’
‘Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely’
you’re a sick son of a b---- that would come to a deal like this to make it a political issue.” Mr O’rourke, surrounded by photographers, then voluntarily left the auditorium.
Last year, Mr Abbott signed a law allowing anyone in Texas aged over 21 to openly carry a handgun without a licence or training.
Mr O’rourke’s heckling of Mr Abbott came as Joe Biden promised to take on America’s gun lobby and demanded an end to the “carnage”.
The president said he was “sick and tired” of the random slaughter, and called on Congress to show “backbone”, adding: “We have to act.”
Republicans accused Mr Biden of “politicising” the issue and, instead of gun control, suggested more security at schools, including arming teachers.
The massacre was carried out by Salvador Ramos, who legally bought two assault rifles shortly after his 18th birthday. Half an hour before the massacre, he wrote on social media: “I’m going to shoot my grandmother.”
Mr Abbott said Ramos then shot his grandmother in the face, before posting: “I shot my grandmother.”
Fifteen minutes before the massacre, he posted: “I’m going to shoot an elementary school.”
Mr Biden said: “The idea that an 18-year-old can walk into a store and buy assault weapons is just wrong. What in God’s name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone?”
In an angry and emotional address to the nation from the White House, Mr Biden said: “I had hoped, when I became president, I would not have to do this again.
“When in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen? To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away.”
The tragedy happened a decade after 20 young children and six others were killed in a similar attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
An attempt to pass gun violence laws in the wake of that shooting collapsed, and Congress has not taken substantial measures since.
Last year, a Pew Research poll showed 53 per cent of Americans want stricter gun laws.
Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader in the US Senate, said he would pursue two bills that would tighten background checks for gun purchases.
But he admitted they would probably fail to pass due to a lack of Republican support, and the influence of the National Rifle Association, America’s biggest pro-gun group.
The bills would require a supermajority of 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate, which is currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.
Addressing Republican senators, Mr Schumer said: “Please, please, please, damn it, put yourselves in the shoes of these parents just for once.
“If the slaughter of schoolchildren can’t convince Republicans to buck the NRA, what can we do?”
Chris Murphy, a Democrat senator representing Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook massacre took place, made an emotional plea on the Senate floor.
He said: “I’m here on this floor to beg, to literally get down on my hands and knees, to beg my colleagues. Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely.”
This weekend the NRA is set to hold its annual convention in Houston, Texas. Among those expected to speak are former US president Donald Trump, Mr Abbott, and Mr Cruz.
Mr Cruz said it was a “dark day” and he was “heartbroken”. But he said the latest shooting would be used to undermine the right of Americans to own guns under the Second Amendment.
In a statement after the massacre, the NRA blamed a “lone, deranged criminal”.