UVALDE, Texas — A press conference following the Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, got heated Wednesday.
After Gov. Greg Abbott finished his opening remarks, gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke walked up to the stage and started shouting about gun control and demanding change. He reportedly said, "this is on you," and said the tragedy was "preventable."
That's when politicians and other leaders started shouting back at O'Rourke. Someone on the stage called him a "sick son of a b----."
After some back and forth, O'Rourke was escorted out of the press conference by officers. Upon being escorted from the premises, O'Rourke addressed a gaggle of media that awaited him.
"He's refused to support a ban on AR-15s and AK-47s," O'Rourke repeatedly told the press. "Why are we letting this happen in our country? Why are we letting this happen in this state? Year after year, we refuse to do something. I will do something ... We could've stopped this if we stood up after Sante Fe and El Paso. We will stop the next one."
O'Rourke said in the gaggle outside Abbott's presser that the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, should not be able to buy an AR-15.
"You want a solution? Stop selling AR-15s in the State of Texas. You want a solution? Have universal background checks. We don't have them," O'Rourke said. "You want a solution? Red flag laws or extreme risk protection orders, which stop a shooting before it happens. You want a solution? Safe storage laws. Those are four solutions that have been brought up by the people of Texas. Each one of those has broad bipartisan support."
O'Rourke went on to highlight the NRA convention Abbott is scheduled to speak at in Houston this weekend, saying that it is "absolutely wrong" of the governor to "brag about how easy he has made it to purchase guns in the state."
"It is insane that we allow an 18-year-old to go in and buy an AR-15. What the h--- did we think he was going to do with that," O'Rourke questioned. "This one is on us."
House Bill 1927, also known as the “permitless carry” law, allows Texans 21 and older to openly carry handguns without a license or training if they are not legally prevented from doing so by state or federal law.
Nineteen children and two adults were killed Tuesday when Ramos entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and opened fire. Before entering the school, the gunman shot his grandmother at her home, which also happens to be the gunman's registered address.
At the press conference, leaders emphasized that the shooter had mental health issues and that we need to do a better job at spotting warning signs and preventing shootings like this.
When asked about Abbott's comment to "not make this political," O'Rourke responded by saying "now is the time to stop the next shooting."
"Right after Santa Fe High School was the time to stop the next shooting," O'Rourke said. "Right after El Paso was the time to stop the next shooting. Right after Midland-Odessa was the time to stop the next shooting. And in each case we say 'now isn't the time.' Now is the time. Literally, right now, that's why I am here."
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