Texas teachers union marches to US Sen. Ted Cruz’s office, demands gun safety following Uvalde shooting

The Texas chapter of the American Federation of Lecturers union marched to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s workplace in downtown Austin to push for gun reform within the wake of the Uvalde bloodbath.

On Tuesday — per week after the college taking pictures that claimed the lives of 21 individuals — the Texas AFT and different activists walked from the Texas AFL-CIO constructing to the Republican lawmaker’s workplace, urging him “go actual measures to #EndGunViolenceNow.”

“It’s pointless. Our children are value extra, our households are value extra, our communities are value extra,” stated Zeph Capo, the president of the Texas AFT.

Because the taking pictures, Cruz has promoted bodily safety measures in colleges, equivalent to putting in bulletproof doorways and hiring armed officers, and stated that gun management wouldn’t management crime.

Cruz has railed in opposition to Democrats’ requires common background checks for gun purchases and bans on assault-style weapons, the Related Press reported. He pointed to damaged households, declining church attendance, social media bullying and video video games as the true issues.

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“Tragedies just like the occasion of this week are a mirror forcing us to ask onerous questions, demanding that we see the place our tradition is failing,” he stated. “We should not react to evil and tragedy by abandoning the Structure or infringing on the rights of our law-abiding residents.”

On the identical day of the demonstration, the AFT launched the “Sufficient-is-Sufficient” marketing campaign, calling gun violence a “public well being disaster.”

The AFT stated they’re in opposition to arming lecturers, a measure floated by Texas Legal professional Normal Ken Paxton and former President Donald Trump.

In Texas, a program created in response to the Sandy Hook taking pictures permits designated college staff to maintain a firearm in a lockbox on college grounds.

On the finish of Tuesday, an indication posted outdoors the Texas AFL-CIO constructing learn: “Arm lecturers with college provides — not weapons.”

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The talk about harder gun legal guidelines was as soon as once more thrust into the highlight after authorities discovered the Uvalde gunman was capable of legally buy two AR-style rifles and tons of of rounds of ammunition simply days after turning 18 years outdated.

Gov. Greg Abbott stated the shooter, Salvador Ramos, didn’t have any identified legal background or psychological well being points, however DPS Director Steven C. McCraw stated Ramos had participated in conversations about weapons and attainable violence for months.

Ramos additionally shot his grandmother earlier than he made his approach into the college, the place he barricaded himself inside a fourth-grade classroom and opened fireplace for greater than an hour. Two lecturers and 19 of their college students had been killed.

One answer proposed by Texas Democrats is rising the age restrict to purchase a rifle to 21. Proper now, in Texas, 18-year-olds should purchase rifles however not handguns (21 is the minimal age for pistol purchases).

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has pushed again, although, saying that “ever since Texas has been a state, an 18-year-old has been capable of purchase an extended gun. It’s solely within the final decade or two once we had college shootings.”

As an alternative, Abbott positioned the blame on not sufficient sources for individuals with psychological well being points — although Abbott lately slashed $211 million from the state’s psychological well being fee.

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