UVALDE, Texas (AP) – Surrounded by fellow Republicans on the high school stage, Gov. Greg Abbott was finishing his opening speech on the murder of schoolchildren and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, when Beto O’Rourke he stepped forward from his seat. in public.
“The governor. Abbott, I have something to say, “said Democrat, who challenged Abbott as governor on Wednesday, pointing the finger at his rival.” It’s time to stop the next shooting right now and you’re doing nothing. ” .
A mixture of cheers and applause rose from the crowd as the former congressman and 2020 presidential candidate spoke briefly and was later escorted out of the room. Senator Ted Cruz, standing behind Abbott, shook his head and said, “Sit down!” while a woman in the crowd sang, “Let him speak.” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin called O’Rourke a “sick son of a bitch.” Some people cried.
And with that, the news session turned into an argument similar to what was happening in many corners of America after another shooting at the school that resulted in a shocking death toll: 19 children and two teachers.
Democrats want to talk about enacting restrictions on who might have a firearm and what kind of weapons should be available, while Republicans say those laws make no sense and prefer to focus on other issues such as school safety or avoid discussion.
“We need all the Texans right now to put aside their own agendas, think of someone other than ourselves, think of the injured people,” Abbott said immediately after O’Rourke got up.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, picking up the microphone moments later, insisted that now was the time 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, partisanship and politics are unavoidable. Tuesday’s mass shooting in the small town west of San Antonio was the latest in Texas in recent years. After a gunman killed 23 people in a 2019 racist attack on Hispanics at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas lawmakers loosened gun laws.
Abbott said Wednesday that he considers the steps taken by the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2019 to be the “deepest” action across the United States to stop shootings in schools. He and other GOP officials said the right place to focus is on mental health and “hardening schools” or making them safer, rather than restricting weapons.
He said existing gun laws in Chicago, New York and California are ineffective.
“I don’t like to say that, but there are more people shot every weekend in Chicago than in Texas schools. And we have to realize that people who think, on guns “will fix it: Chicago and LA and New York disprove this thesis,” he said.
Meanwhile, O’Rourke stayed outside in the parking lot, where he continued to demand gun control.
“If we don’t do anything, we’ll keep seeing it,” he said, “year after year, school after school, child after child.”
Uvalde’s neighbors also echoed both sides of the debate.
Ariana Diaz, 17, said she has friends in the close-knit community who lost siblings. Speaking outside of high school, where the press conference was being held, Diaz said he would like to see O’Rourke elected governor. He noted that the shooter was 18 years old and was able to buy two weapons.
“It’s not okay,” he said. “He’s only 18. He’s not old enough to buy an alcoholic beverage. He shouldn’t be old enough to buy a gun.”
Laura Ligocky, 41, said the shooting was “heartbreaking” as a mother, but she did not see gun restrictions as a solution.
“Everyone wants to control guns, and I don’t think it helps,” he said in the parking lot where O’Rourke called for gun restrictions. “I think that makes things worse.”
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Burnett reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporter Jake Bleiberg contributed from Dallas.