The arms debate in the United States reached a boiling point during a press conference when two political rivals clashed loudly over the Texas Elementary School massacre.
Salvador Ramos, 18, used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle – one of two he had legally bought in the days before the attack – in the bloodbath at Robb d’Uvalde Elementary School, which left 19 children and two dead adults.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addressed an audience Wednesday, blaming the shooting on a “mental health crisis” in the community.
He didn’t mention gun laws once, and the state is home to some of the most relaxed firearms rules in the U.S.
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Democrat politician Beto O’Rourke, who is hoping to oust Mr Abbott in this November’s gubernatorial election, confronted his opponent, shouting: “You are doing nothing to stop this.
“This is totally predictable.”
Learn more about Texas school shooting
“Sir, you’re offline”
Much of what he said could not be heard with a loud noise, with a spectator saying that Mr. O’Rourke was “a sick son of an ab **** for having come to this and trying to convert on a political issue. “
Another added, “Sir, you’re offline.”
Image: Beto O’Rourke faced his opponent
Mr. O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman who tried to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2020, was finally kicked out of the room, but not before saying, “It’s up to you.”
He was critical of the headline, tweeting yesterday: “Governor Abbott, if you have any decency, you will immediately withdraw from this weekend’s NRA convention and urge them to hold it anywhere other than Texas. “.
Abbott was backed for re-election as governor by the NRA in February, with the organization giving him a 100% approval rating, and plans to speak at this weekend’s annual convention.
He is an outspoken supporter of weapons and last year signed 22 laws that made it easier for people to buy, carry and own their own weapons in the state, including an unauthorized transportation law that allows most jeans to carry weapons without training or license. .
Mr O’Rourke, on the other hand, does not apologize for his support for stricter gun laws, saying in 2020: “Yes, we will take your AR-15, your AK-47.
“We will no longer allow it to be used against our American compatriots.”
After the press conference resumed, Texas Gov. Dan Patrick’s lieutenant said the shooting was “not a political issue.”
The ANR later issued a statement, describing the attack as that of a “lone, disturbed criminal.”
“As we meet in Houston, we will reflect on these events, pray for the victims, acknowledge our patriotic members, and pledge to redouble our commitment to ensuring the safety of our schools,” the organization said.
Texas is home to some of the most pro-gun laws in the United States
Texas laws that allow an 18-year-old to buy a gun “have been in effect for more than 60 years,” Abbott later told a news conference.
“During that time during those 60 years, we haven’t had episodes like this … why now?”
He said that “the only thing that has changed is the state of mental health,” and added, “We as a state, as a society, need to do a better job with mental health.”
Image: Mr. Abbott has been endorsed by the NRA
Texas, which has some of the most pro-gun laws in the nation, has been the site of some of the deadliest shootings in the United States in five years.
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In 2018, a gunman killed 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area. A year earlier, a gunman had killed more than two dozen people during a Sunday service in the small town of Sutherland Springs. In 2019, a gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanics.
In a grim speech to the nation hours after the Texas attack, President Joe Biden called on Americans to “confront the gun lobby” and enact tougher restrictions, saying, “When, in the name of God, will we do what needs to be done? “