President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visit Rob Elementary School to honor the victims of the mass shooting in Ulvade, Texas.
Highlight
- Uvalde tells Biden to “do something”; He promises “we will”
- Biden arrives in Texas to mourn with community after horrific school shooting
- Biden’s visit comes amid growing scrutiny of police response to shooting
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden arrived in the shocked and grieving city of Uvalde, Texas on Sunday to offer condolences and condolences to the community after a horrific school shooting killed 19 children and two teachers. , as a weary nation with an endless round of gun violence. Facing chants of “do something” while leaving a church service to meet privately with families, Biden responded: “We will.” Uvalde’s visit was Biden’s second visit in as many weeks to console a community mourning a staggering loss following a shooting.
He traveled to Buffalo, New York, on May 17 to meet with the families of victims and condemn white supremacy after a shooter advocating a racist “replacement theory” killed 10 black people in a supermarket. At Robb Elementary School, Biden stopped at a memorial to 21 white crosses – one for each of those killed – and the first lady added a bouquet of white flowers to the pile in front of the school’s sign. He saw separate altars erected in memory of each student, and the first lady touched the pictures of the children as the couple moved along the row.
Both the shooting and its aftermath shed a new light on the country’s strong divisions and its inability to build a consensus on action to reduce gun violence. “Evil came in that elementary school classroom in Texas, in that grocery store in New York, in a lot of places where innocent people have died,” Biden said in a commencement speech at the University of Delaware on Saturday. “We have to stand strong. We must stand strong. I know we can’t outlaw tragedy, but we can make America safer.” After visiting the memorial, Biden attended Mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where the families of some of the victims worship. As he left to meet the family members in private, a crowd of around 100 people started shouting “Kuch Karo” slogans. “We will,” Biden replied, as he got into his car.
It was not immediately clear what the president was suggesting. He also planned to meet with first responders before returning to his home in Delaware. Mackinzie Hinojosa, whose cousin Elijah Torres was killed on Tuesday, said she respected Biden’s decision to mourn with the people of Uvalde. “It’s more than mourning,” she said. “We want change. We want action. This is something that happens over and over again. Mass shootings happen. It’s on the news. People cry. Then it’s gone. Nobody cares. And then.” It happens. And then.” “If there’s anything I can tell Joe Biden, as it is, just to respect our community while he’s here, and I’m sure he will,” she said. “But we need change. We need to do something about it.”
Biden visited amid growing scrutiny of police’s response to the shooting. Officials revealed on Friday that students and teachers repeatedly pleaded with 911 operators for help as a police commander asked more than a dozen officers to wait in a hallway. Officials said the commander believed the suspect was locked inside an adjacent orbit and there was no longer an active attack. The revelation caused further grief and raised new questions as to whether the lives were lost as officers did not act swiftly to stop the gunman, who was eventually killed by Border Patrol tactical officers. The Justice Department announced Sunday that it would review the law enforcement response and make its findings public. “It’s easy to point fingers at the moment,” said Uvalde County Commissioner Ronnie Garza on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” adding that “our community needs to focus on healing right now.”
Officials have said the shooter had legally purchased two guns shortly before the school attack: an AR-style rifle on May 17 and another on May 20. He was only 18 years old, he was allowed to buy weapons under federal law. Hours after the shooting, Biden made a passionate plea for additional gun control legislation, asking: “When in the name of God will we stand up to the gun lobby? Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we let this happen?” Over the years, Biden has been involved in the gun control movement’s most notable successes, such as the 1994 arms embargo, which ended in 2004, and its most troubling disappointments, including new ones following the 2012 massacre at Sandy. Involves failure to pass legislation. Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
As president, Biden has attempted to address gun violence through executive orders. He now has few new options before him, but given Washington’s sharp divisions over gun control legislation, executive action may be best for the president. In Congress, a bipartisan group of senators spoke over the weekend to see if they could reach a modest settlement on gun safety legislation after a decade of mostly unsuccessful attempts. Sen. Chris Murphy, who is leading the effort, encouraged the state’s “red flag” laws to keep guns away from people with mental health issues, and addressed school safety and mental health resources. While there isn’t enough support from Republicans in Congress for comprehensive gun safety proposals popular with the public, including a new assault weapons ban or universal background checks on gun purchases, Murphy, D-Conn, told ABC’s “This Week.” that these other considerations are “not unimportant.”
The group will meet again this coming week, with a 10-day deadline to make the deal. “There are more Republicans interested in talking about finding a way forward this time,” said Murphy, who represented the Newtown area as a congressman at the time of the Sandy Hook shooting. “And, finally, may my heart be broken, I’m at the table with more Republicans and Democrats right now than ever before.”
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