Texas school shooting: Calls for gun reforms rise after Uvalde massacre

Many people, from political figures and celebrities to those who have lost someone to gun violence, took to social media to express their outrage after the Texas school shooting.

By GADI ZAIG
Updated: MAY 25, 2022 16:48
Law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, US May 24, 2022 (photo credit: REUTERS/MARCO BELLO)
Law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, US May 24, 2022
(photo credit: REUTERS/MARCO BELLO)

Calls for gun reform and gun legislation rang higher than usual following the Tuesday elementary school shooting that took the lives of 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas. Many on social media criticized Republican lawmakers for not allowing gun legislation to be passed.

Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents the district where Uvalde is located, wrote that his "heart breaks for the city of Uvalde. Pray for our families."

Gonzales's response to the incident on Twitter prompted much social media backlash, with many users expressing their outrage by citing his opposition to stricter gun control measures.

"Don’t come in here with some bible verse thinking that will make everything better," one user wrote. "Your support, idolization, and normalization of heavy weapons contribute to this issue in the first place."

Actor Matthew McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde, described gun violence as an "epidemic we can control," on Instagram on Wednesday. "Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.

"It's time we re-evaluate and renegotiate our wants from our needs."

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he's "not going to talk about basketball. Any basketball questions don't matter," only focusing on the shooting that occurred. "When are we going to do something? I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences. I'm tied of the moments of silence."

Kerr's comments on the shooting went viral on social media, garnering over 20 million views in 11 hours.

The children at Robb Elementary School were two days away from their summer break when Tuesday's massacre unfolded, but the rest of the school year has since been canceled.  

The nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive stated that there have been at least 212 mass shootings in 2022 in the United States so far. Tuesday was the 144th day of the year, which means that there were almost 1.5 mass shootings per day.

"Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

Matthew McConaughey

Beto O'rourke called out the Republican governor of Texas, Greg Abbot, saying that "if you have any decency, you will immediately withdraw from this weekend's NRA (National Rifle Association) convention and urge them to hold it anywhere but Texas."

Uvalde has a population of approximately 16,000 people.

Sandy Hook families speak out

Families of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012 spoke out on the shooting in Texas, with many saying that it is "beyond time to take action on gun control."

Nicole Hockley, whose son died during Sandy Hook, set up the lobby group Sandy Hook Promise, writing in USA Today that she "knows of the unspeakable pain that parents of children killed during Tuesday's Texas school shooting are experiencing right now. I also know what they will endure for the rest of their lives."

Neil Heslin, who lost his son, told The New York Times that “I guess it’s something in society we know will happen again, over and over. It's almost like an instant replay of Sandy Hook.”

Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter, told MSNBC that "people failed. I’m done. They f***ing failed our kids again, OK? I’m done. I’ve had it. How many more times?”



Related Tags
social media
texas
gun control