On Tuesday, 19 students and two teachers were killed at a school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The gunman was allegedly 18 year-old Salvador Ramos, who was also a part of the Uvalde school system. He was killed in the shooting by police and had posted images of guns to his social media accounts prior to the shooting.
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed during the mass shooting at Florida's Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, appeared on MSNBC to offer his thoughts on Tuesday’s horrific tragedy.
During the interview, Guttenberg opened by thanking Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who gave a speech on the Senate floor “begging” for gun control legislation following the deadly shooting.
“Because there are people in this country who want to do something about this. Unfortunately, they all currently live in one political party. And Senator Murphy’s been fighting this fight for a long time,” Guttenberg added.
He went on to criticize conservative politicians and lawmakers, referencing Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Dan Patrick, the Lone Star State's lieutenant governor.
“The governor there, he’s not like Senator Murphy. That lieutenant governor, he’s not like Senator Murphy. In fact those — I’m trying hard not to curse, Nicolle. But I’m shaking. But I’d like to tell them all to go F-off because what they did, what they do, the way they politicize guns and violence led us to this day where — and I don’t know what the latest number is. I think we have 14 dead,” Guttenberg said in the interview on Tuesday.
“Parents, loved ones, whose world is spinning. Who right now have to think, 'how am I going to plan a funeral?' Who right now have to think, 'what kind of casket?' Who right now have to think, 'All I did was send them to school. And I have to plan their funeral. And I have to write a eulogy,'” he continued, getting emotional.
“They f**king failed our kids again, okay? I’m done. I’ve had it. You know, how many more times?” Guttenberg added.
“And we’re going to sit back — I’m going to listen to that governor of Texas talk about why he pushed to fight laws and for laws in Texas that made it easier for the guns to be had by those who want to kill. How many more times? I don’t — I mean, I’m sorry. I’m speechless. I don’t know what to say. But you know what? Tomorrow, I’m going to wake up, we’re going to keep fighting,” he continued.
He concluded: “And so, I am begging Senator [Ted] Cruz. I sat with you in your office two years or so ago. I listened to your nonsense. I listened to your B.S. I listened to you explain to me why you thought we didn’t need the bare minimum of effective background checks. March into Senator Murphy’s office right now, tonight, and you be the Republican who says, I’ve had enough. Because if you don’t, get your a** out of the office. You don’t belong there. I’m sorry."
The Texas shooting comes 10 days after teenager dressed in body armor walked in a Tops supermarket and livestreamed his racially-motivated killing of 10 people. Eleven of the 13 victims were Black.