As adults grapple with talking to their children about the latest school massacre where 19 elementary school students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, were shot and killed by a crazed gunman, finger-pointing among members of Congress appears to have reached its zenith.
“Just be clear, f— you [Ted Cruz], you f—ing baby killer,” Arizona Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego tweeted at the Republican senator.
Gallego had replied to Cruz, whose comments following the May 24 massacre only served to upset many on social media
Cruz, who will serve as keynote speaker at a pro-gun event in Texas this week, rebuked calls for changing gun laws.
“We know from past experience that the most effective tool for keeping kids safe is armed law enforcement on the campus,” Cruz stated.
Later, a video surfaced of former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke crashing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s press conference about the shooting.
“Let him speak,” some in the auditorium chanted at Abbot’s security detail, who escorted O’Rourke out of the room. The former congressman, running against Abbott, attempted to challenge the governor about his controversial laws that allows just about anyone in Texas to carry a gun without a permit or background check.
“This is totally predictable,” O’Rourke stated. “This is after El Paso and you are doing nothing. This is on you until you choose to do something.”
After Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin railed against reporters and rebuked questions about getting rid of the filibuster to pass gun legislation, fellow Democrat Nina Turner, who lost her congressional bid earlier this month, took him to task.
“Joe Manchin says he’ll do anything to get gun legislation passed, then clarifies that he won’t eliminate the filibuster to do so,” Turner observed. “Not only is it something he can do but he did also do to pass the military budget in December. Priorities.”
When Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert tweeted that “you can’t legislate evil away,” Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quickly fired back.
“Why even be in Congress if you don’t believe in doing your job? Just quit and let someone who actually gives a damn do it instead of acting like a useless piece of furniture when babies are shot with AR15s. We let teen boys impulse buy before they can legally have a beer,” Ocasio-Cortez replied.
Twitter users littered their timelines with photos of Boebert and the congresswoman’s family, including young children, displaying automatic weapons.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden reflected on the victims.
“There are parents who will never be the same. To lose a child is to have a piece of your soul ripped away forever,” Biden said. “I am sick and tired of it. We have to act and don’t tell me we can’t have an impact on this carnage.”
“I’ve spent my career working to pass common-sense gun laws. We know that mass shootings went down when we passed the assault weapons ban. We know that gun manufacturers have spent two decades marketing assault weapons, making them the largest profit. We must have the courage to stand up to the industry and the lobbies.”
“It’s time to turn this pain into action for every parent and every citizen of this country. We have to make it clear to every elected official in this country that it’s time to act. It’s time for those who obstructed the way, who have blocked the common-sense gun laws, to know we will not forget,” Biden said.