At least 21 people, including 19 children, are dead in the wake of the latest mass shooting incident at a public school. Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, went into lockdown on Tuesday afternoon when a gunman opened fire.
It was the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Connecticut. Prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke out and was angry in his plea for the Senate to act.
“When are we going to do something?!” Kerr yelled. “I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I’m tired of the moments of silence. Enough! There’s 50 senators right now who refuse to vote on H.R.8, which is a background-check rule that the House passed a couple years ago. It’s been sitting there for two years. And there’s a reason they won’t vote on it: to hold on to power.”
"When are we going to do something?! … We can't get numb to this."
Steve Kerr speaks on the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas
(via @NotoriousOHM)pic.twitter.com/9aQLulx4Je
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2022
This isn’t the first time Kerr has spoken out in the wake of gun violence. His father, Malcolm Kerr, an academic and political scientist, was a victim of gun violence. This is personal. But it should be for all of us.
At some point as a nation, we the body politic, must realize that many of our elected officials do not care about the well-being of the people. They want to hold on to power, consolidate it and enrich themselves.
We live in a country that forces women to have children against their will and does not do anything to protect the lives of said children. It’s inhumane and abhorrent.
The fact that parents can’t feel comfortable sending their children to school, of all places, means that as a society we are broken. Truth is we’ve been broken for well over 400 years.
Lakers’ superstar LeBron James sent out a series of tweets expressing his frustrations.
My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families of love ones loss & injured at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX! Like when is enough enough man!!! These are kids and we keep putting them in harms way at school. Like seriously "AT SCHOOL" where it's suppose to be the safest!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 24, 2022
The gunman was identified as an 18-year-old man from the community who had attended a nearby high school. He was armed with several weapons and died at the scene.
It seems as though every day there is some unspeakable tragedy. When the next one comes and takes over the news cycle, what of the broken families in this Texas community? What are we doing for the broken families in Sandy Hook or Buffalo or any of the other horrific mass shootings of the last several years?
“So I ask you, Mitch McConnell,” Kerr said. “I ask all of you Senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and the school shootings and supermarket shootings, I ask you: Are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and our elderly and our church-goers? Because that’s what it looks like.”
Kerr is right, enough of the thoughts and prayers and condolences. It is time for action. Who is going to hold these politicians accountable?
The H.R.8 bill needs to be voted on in the Senate. Everyone should be lobbying their U.S. senator’s office to pass this bill. If not, let them know they will not be receiving your support at the ballot box.
Together as a united body politic is how we can get things done. There are enough of us that want to eliminate the threat of gun violence.
