Honoring the Uvalde Victims
This year has seen more mass shootings than days, and the year took an even darker turn when a shooter entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and opened fire on students, killing 19 children and two adults before killing himself.
Many people are left wondering what prompted him to act in this manner as they offer their condolences and prayers to those affected by the tragedy. What could have pushed someone so far beyond sanity that they would take innocent lives so easily? Should we ever even allow someone access to this kind of machinery that can cause so much damage in such a short amount of time? And the most pressing question remains: how are we as a nation going to fix this underlying issue?
But first, we’d like to pay our respects by remembering and acknowledging all of the victims of this tragedy, including their names and the kind of life and legacy they left behind.
Uziyah Garcia, 8
Nikki Cross, his aunt, posted on Facebook that they were desperate to find out what happened and had searched everywhere! He was the sweetest little boy for his grandfather Manny Renfro who describes him as an intelligent and smart boy with fantastic memory.
Maite Rodriguez, 10
She revealed a few heartbreaking details about her loss: “What I want the world to know about Maite Yuleana Rodriguez is that her favorite color was green, and she loved her lime green converse so much that she drew a heart on the right one. She was sweet, charismatic, loving, caring, loyal, free, ambitious, funny, silly, goal-oriented, and most importantly, my best friend! Her ambition to become a marine biologist began in kindergarten, and she was set on attending Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. She was crazy about animals and babies! She was just getting into photography and picking up a camera. She had a very unique fashion sense. As I lay here on this empty bed at 3 a.m., tears streaming down my cheeks, I’d like to tell my baby girl, “it’s not goodbye, it’s I’ll see you later, my sweet girl,” I LOVE YOU.”
Makenna Elrod, 10
Eliahana Cruz Torres, 10
Alithia Ramirez, 10
Jose Flores, 10
Tess Marie Mata, 10
Here is the Facebook post she shared about her sister’s death:
“My sweet baby sister, I would’ve never thought I would be typing something like this. I honestly have no words just sadness, confusion, and anger. I’m sad because we will never get to tag team on mom and dad again and tell each other how much we mean to each other, I’m confused because how can something like this happen to my sweet, caring, and beautiful sister, and I’m angry because a coward took you from us. Sissy I miss you so much, I just want to hold you and tell you how pretty you are, I want to take you outside and practice softball, I want to go on one last family vacation, I want to hear your contagious laugh, and I want you to hear me tell you how much I love you. Tessy mom, dad, and I won’t be the same without you but we are comforted knowing you are waiting for us up in heaven and have a spot for us. We have one sassy guardian angel that I know is going to protect our family. Till we meet again Tess Marie, love your Big Sister”
Nevaeh Bravo, 10
Miranda Mathis, 11
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Jackie Cazares, 10
Jackie’s cousin and best friend Annabell Rodriguez also died in the school shooting.
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
Alexandria “Lexi” Aniyah Rubio, 10
Layla Salazar, 10
Layla Salazar, 10
Eliahna Garcia, 10
“She was very happy and outgoing,” said Arizmendi, a fifth-grade teacher at the same school district’s Flores Elementary School. “Her favorite activities included dancing and sports with her family. She enjoyed being around them and always stated that they were the most important people in her life!”
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Garza told “She was the sweetest thing. She’s so creative. She just got an award for being the most creative. ” She was killed during the shooting in her fourth-grade classroom.
Her parents were not sure of how and what to tell her 3-year-old brother Zayne. “Every morning he wakes up, he asks for his sister,” Garza said. “I don’t know what to do, man. She didn’t deserve that. I just want to protect my little girl.” Garza’s father, Alfred Garza III, wrote about her death in a Facebook post, saying, “My one and only baby. I’m going to miss you dearly Amerie. You did NOT deserve this, nor did the other children. I would do anything to have you back. Fly high my Amerie Jo and tell grandma we miss her. Visit me in my dreams anytime
Rogelio Torres, 10
Xavier Lopez, 10
Annabell Rodriguez, 10
Eva Mireles, 44
Her teacher profile stated that she had been in education for 17 years and enjoyed running and hiking.
“She was daring,” relative Amber Ybarra said, confirming her death to the Associated Press. “I would absolutely say those kind words about her. She will unquestionably be missed.” Her aunt described the incident as a “very sad day in the Uvalde community” and advocated for “expanded gun laws.” Lydia Martinez Delgado said, “Let this be the last community affected by this.”
“My heart will forever be broken,” Mireles’ daughter Adalynn Mireles wrote on Twitter.
Irma Garcia, 46
What happened on Tuesday was nothing short of traumatic for the vast majority of Americans. And, as I mentioned yesterday, the sooner we accept that we have a numbers and access problem, the better.
There are currently 121 firearms for every 100 citizens in the United States, which means that there are more guns per household in America than computers. In a country where firearms are so easily accessible, it’s no wonder that mass shootings have become such a common occurrence. Firearms are a part of America’s identity, and as long as they are widely available, mass shootings will continue to rip our country apart.
Every time a mass shooting occurs, we are told that it is too soon to discuss gun control, that it is not the time to politicize a tragedy. However, this is not about politics; rather, we are attempting to solve an access issue. When will our lawmakers finally prioritize the safety of our children over their own political interests? It is obvious that something needs to be done, but it appears unlikely that anything will change anytime soon.
It’s no secret that America has a gun problem. We have more guns than any other country in the world, and we also have more mass shootings than any other developed country. The link between access to guns and mass shootings is clear. The vast majority of school shootings in the US are carried out with legally obtained firearms, and access to guns is a major factor in the higher rate of mass shootings in America compared to other developed countries.
So, what can be done to limit gun access and prevent mass shootings? One obvious solution is to limit the number of guns in circulation by passing legislation that closes systemic loopholes. Because all of the necessary checks and balances have been met, anyone who is normal and sane can own a gun. However, with so many loopholes in place right now, anyone can get their hands on a gun and decide to murder 21 lives on the spur of the moment.
Why would anyone object to this? Is there anyone who doesn’t want to close these kinds of dirty loopholes?
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting stunned the nation and sparked a long-overdue debate about gun control. In the aftermath, after the gunman killed 20 small children and six adults, Democrats proposed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021. The bill closes an important loophole that allows unlicensed or private sellers to avoid background checks. H.R. 8 is widely regarded as the most significant gun control legislation introduced in Congress in a generation. Despite widespread support, the bill has been stalled in the Senate for more than a year, and experts are skeptical that HR 8 will even garner enough votes. This sounds absurd, and just goes to show D.C.’s priorities.
So we’ve compiled a list of Senators, along with the amount of money they’ve raised from the NRA and their most recent statement on HR.8. There is also their office phone number listed, and we strongly advise you to call them as many times as necessary until they receive your message, and perhaps to ask them how many more children need to die. And, is it really necessary for America to have half of the world’s guns? Senator Mitch McConnell must abandon political posturing and allow a vote on this critical bill.
While these Senators have only “openly” stated their opposition to HR 8, there are many other Senators who continue to receive NRA funding in political donations, so if you don’t see your Senator’s contact information below, you can find it here: https://www.senate.gov/general/resources/pdf/senators_phone_list.pdf
Let’s #EndGunViolence Together.
Roy Blunt
Missouri
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $4.6 million
“I would hope that Senator Schumer’s view would be to see if there’s any bipartisan opportunity before he gets people started voting ‘no’ on gun legislation.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-260 Phone (4-5721)
Josh Hawley
Missouri
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.4 million
“Doesn’t it also change who gets the checks? That would be one of my concerns.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-115 Phone (4-6154)
Ron Johnson
Wisconsin
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $1.3 million
Mr. Johnson’s office said, “The senator does not support HR 8, which would criminalize common exchanges of firearms and strip away the rights of millions of people while doing nothing to reduce gun violence. Universal backgrounds checks wouldn’t be universal. Almost 70 percent of prisoners who used a gun to commit crimes acquired firearms from black-market sources, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SH-328 Phone (4-5323)
Lindsey Graham
South Carolina
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $433,000
“None of these things we’re talking about seems to change the outcome, before these most recent cases. I doubt if any Republicans vote for that.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-290 Phone (4-5972)
Richard C. Shelby
Alabama
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $259,000
“I’m a Second Amendment person, period.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-304 Phone (4-5774)
Ted Cruz
Texas
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $176,000
Faulted Democrats “and a whole lot of folks in the media” for rushing to “try to restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-127A Phone (4-5992)
Roger Wicker
Mississipi
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $106,000
“I’m committed to exploring bipartisan solutions that can help address gun violence without infringing upon the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SD-555 Phone (4-6253)
Mike Rounds
South Dakota
N.R.A. RATING: A+
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $101,000
“It’s one thing to say that, regardless of the facts, you should just do something. The question is whether something you would do would actually make a difference.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-716 Phone (4-5842)
John Barrasso
Wyoming
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $27,000
“We don’t want to take away the rights of law-abiding citizens.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SD-307 Phone (4-6441)
James Lankford
Oklahoma
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $24,000
“My first thought is, background bill seems a little out of place based on what happened in Uvalde.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SH-316 Phone (4-5754)
Cynthia Lummis
Wyoming
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $19,000
Expanding background checks “would not be acceptable for the state of Wyoming.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-124 Phone (4-3424)
Bill Hagerty
Tennesse
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $16,000
“To be clear: Using this horror to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens — before we even know what might have prevented this tragedy — and accusing anyone who disagrees of being complicit in this abhorrent crime is not a solution that will make us safer.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-248 Phone (4-4944)
Tommy Tuberville
Alabama
N.R.A. RATING: A
CAREER N.R.A. FUNDING: $10,000
“I’m willing to say that I’m very sorry it happened. But guns are not the problem, OK? People are the problem. That’s where it starts — and we’ve had guns forever. And we’re going to continue to have guns.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SR-142 Phone (4-4124)
Rick Scott
Florida
N.R.A. RATING: C
“I haven’t seen those exact bills. I don’t support taking away people’s — law-abiding citizens’ — Second Amendment rights.”
Office Number: 202-224-3121 Suite SH-502 Phone (4-5274)