AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott will return to Uvalde on Friday and skip the National Rifle Association convention in Houston.
But before returning to the South Texas city, still mourning the school massacre this week, Abbott will record comments to be issued at the gun group event, a spokesman said.
“The governor will address the NRA via a pre-recorded video,” spokesman Mark Miner said.
A notice issued by the governor’s office on Thursday afternoon did not mention the NRA convention, saying the governor would be briefed and then hold a “press conference” on the state’s ongoing efforts to support the community. Uvalde “.
Abbott’s visit to Uvalde will be his second since an 18-year-old killed 21 people at Robb Primary School on Tuesday.
Abbott will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m., the governor’s office announced.
Earlier, the Republican governor agreed to speak at the NRA Leadership Forum on Friday.
A calendar for the event released Thursday afternoon showed that Abbott was due to speak at 2:37 p.m., just after NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and before South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.
The event at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston is hosted by the NRA and the Legislative Action Institute, its lobby.
As of 8:45 p.m., Thursday, the NRA’s online program for the event still featured Abbott as a “confirmed” speaker, though it made no distinction between face-to-face and pre-recorded conversations.
The group’s website also includes U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw as confirmed speakers, though Texas Republicans said before Tuesday’s mass shooting they would not attend: Cornyn because of ‘a schedule conflict and Crenshaw because he was going to Ukraine.
Abbott, who is seeking a third term this year, has been a staunch supporter of gun rights. Last year, he signed a bill that allowed Texans to carry a gun in public without a license or training. Tuesday’s killings at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, however, renewed a public discussion on school safety and gun laws.
On Wednesday, during Abbott’s first visit after the Uvalde shooting, he strongly rejected suggestions that stricter Texas gun laws could prevent such tragedies. The governor mocked the blue gun laws passed in the blue enclaves as ineffective.
Abbott’s Democratic opponent, Beto O’Rourke, interrupted the Republican leaders’ press conference. Pointing to Abbott, O’Rourke shouted, “This is for you.” The former El Paso congressman said Abbott had done nothing to prevent the mass shootings from happening again and that “you are not offering us anything.”
Related: Meetings continue for NRA and guns allowed, but not during Trump’s appearance
Abbott replied, his voice raised, “We need all the jeans, right now, to put aside personal agendas, think of someone other than ourselves, think of the people who were hurt!”
On Thursday at the U.S. Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York returned Abbott’s words.
“He asked people to put their agendas aside and think of someone other than themselves,” Schumer said. “My God, how dare you? What an absolute fraud the governor of Texas is. And this is Governor Abbott himself who is going to speak at the NRA convention in Houston tomorrow, tomorrow.”
Hours after the massacre, Abbott even dismayed some of his supporters by not canceling a planned fundraiser in Huntsville on Tuesday night. Other state politicians had rushed to cancel his. On Wednesday, an Abbott spokesman said all campaign activity, including fundraising Wednesday night, had been postponed “until further notice.”
As Friday’s NRA event approached, Abbott received pressure from individuals and groups that he withdrew.
“We urge you to make the right decision,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson wrote to the governor. “She is OK. Instead, urgently enact common-sense gun control measures in your state that will save countless innocent lives, including children. “
Also Thursday afternoon, O’Rourke announced that he will participate in a “demonstration against armed violence” in Houston on Friday. It is organized by the Harris County Democratic Party and several unions and groups of teachers who advocate stricter gun laws.
Austin correspondent Lauren McGaughy contributed to this report.
Related: NAACP President Calls on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to Cancel NRA Appearance