At a press conference in Uvalde, Texas, addressing yesterday’s deadly attack on an elementary school, Republican Governor Greg Abbott was interrupted by Beto O’Rourke, the Democrat challenging him for governor, who emerged from the crowd to condemn him for failing to enact gun control.
“You are doing nothing,” said O’Rourke, standing directly in front of Abbott and state and local officials. “You’re offering us nothing. You said this is not predictable. This is totally predictable.” He continued as he was whisked away by security: “This is on you until you choose to do something different! This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just as they were in Uvalde yesterday.”
The mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin, repeatedly shouted back, “Sir, you are out of line,” and called O’Rourke a “sick son of a bitch.”
During his long-shot run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2019, O’Rourke made gun control his signature issue, including a call to initiate gun buybacks for assault rifles. “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR15, your AK-47,” he said in one debate. After he was removed from the press conference, O’Rourke addressed reporters outside:
As governor, Abbott has taken several major steps to expand access to guns in Texas, including a law last June that allows adults over 21 to legally carry handguns without needing a license. In response to O’Rourke’s interruption, he called on people to “put aside personal agendas.”
