After another mass shooting, which this time took place at a mall in Allen, Texas, where eight victims were killed, Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas), who is running to replace Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), shared a demand for action.
“Eight lives tragically cut short,” Allred remarked in a statement posted on Twitter. “As I grieve with my fellow Texans and pray for those who were injured, I won’t accept that we are powerless to prevent this. It’s our responsibility as lawmakers to help make our communities safer. We must take common sense steps to save lives.”
As he has before, Cruz in his own remarks focused on what he called the “evil” of the shooter as though referencing the obvious is some kind of profundity. We all know that mass shooters are what we’d generally know as “evil,” Ted! It’s not an effective distraction from the GOP’s utter refusal to take more sweeping action to stop the proliferation of weapons facilitating mass murder after mass murder. Those affected by the attack in Allen once again included young children, according to reports, and what about the trauma inflicted on those who were injured, hid for hours in fear, or personally witnessed the carnage? In hundreds of mass shootings since 2023 even began, the guns to which so many Republicans have seemingly professed their allegiance have provided for reverberating circles of devastation. Do they care?
Most Americans want universal background checks for gun purchases, and polling has even shown national majorities in support of a ban on assault weapons! “My team is in contact with local officials, and I have offered whatever support is needed to do justice and help those in need,” Cruz said. “Thank you to the incredible law enforcement who put a stop to the monster who committed this act of evil.” At least he didn’t start ranting about doors again!
Information about the shooter, who was killed on the scene by police, didn’t seem to be available in early reports. What’s already been shown after past incidents proves, though, that there’s an opening for action on gun regulations. The mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, was conducted with a weapon obtained legally. That attacker was young enough that having taken the exact same steps undertaken elsewhere — meaning raising the minimum age for purchasing certain firearms — could’ve meant the Uvalde massacre never happened.
Eight lives tragically cut short. As I grieve with my fellow Texans and pray for those who were injured, I won't accept that we are powerless to prevent this.
It's our responsibility as lawmakers to help make our communities safer. We must take common sense steps to save lives.
— Colin Allred (@ColinAllredTX) May 7, 2023