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Former President Barack Obama expressed his anguish following the deaths of 19 children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24.
Obama said that as parents put their children to bed in the aftermath of the attack, they are worried about ‘what might happen tomorrow after they drop their kids off at school, or take them to a grocery store or any other public space.’
The 44th president said that both he and former First Lady Michelle Obama ‘grieve with the families in Uvalde, who are experiencing pain no one should have to bear.’
The former president recalled the shooting in Sandy Hook which occurred while he was in office.
Obama said: ‘Nearly ten years after Sandy Hook—and ten days after Buffalo—our country is paralyzed, not by fear, but by a gun lobby and a political party that have shown no willingness to act in any way that might help prevent these tragedies.’
The statement concluded: ‘It’s long past time for action, any kind of action. And it’s another tragedy—a quieter but no less tragic one—for families to wait another day. May God bless the memory of the victims, and in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.’
Tuesday’s shooting saw gunman Salvador Ramos kill 19 children, and two adults, including special ed teacher Eva Mirales, before he was shot dead by a cop.
Former President Barack Obama’s statement in full
LeBron James earlier led the calls for action following the shooting.
Many of those who tweeted in the initial aftermath were responding to initial reports that 14 children had been killed.
James wrote in a tweet: ‘There has to be change! HAS TO BE!! Praying to the heavens above to all with kids these days in schools.’
In a previous tweet, the Lakers star wrote: ‘My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families of love ones loss & injured at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX! Like when is enough enough man!!! These are kids and we keep putting them in harms way at school. Like seriously “AT SCHOOL” where it’s suppose to be the safest!’
LeBron James led the calls for action with this message
The Lakers star sent two message of outrage following the shooting
Chris Evans also called for gun reform. The ‘Capt America’ has previously called for common sense gun reform
Gun sense activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, described himself as ‘speechless’ following the Uvalde shooting
Salvador Ramos, 18, a local high school student was named as the perpetrator of the attack by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott
Salvador Ramos, 18, a local high school student was named as the perpetrator of the attack by Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott. Abbott initially identified the suspect Salvador Roma.
Earlier that day, Ramos shot and killed his grandmother. The attack is one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history and the worst school shooting at an elementary school since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.
‘Captain America’ star Chris Evans tweeted: ‘F***ING ENOUGH!!!!’ Evans has previously called for ‘common sense reform’ with regard to guns in the past.
Just a few hours after the shooting, President Joe Biden ordered that all United States flags at government buildings and military bases worldwide be held at half-mast.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted that he was ‘horrified and heartbroken’ by the shooting in Uvalde.
‘The Shining’ author exclaimed: ‘GUN CONTROL NOW! STOP THE SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENCTS!’
CNN host Jake Tapper struck a somber note saying: ‘I can’t stop thinking about the parents staring at the empty beds… The 14 children who will not be tucked in tonight.’
Late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, a frequent critic of the Republican Party, demanded that those who ‘do nothing to protect our children’ should be voted out of office.
Jimmy Kimmel, an advocate of liberal politics, spoke out about the shooting.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell came under scrutiny for his tweet on the shooting
Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said in a tweet that ‘Thoughts and prayers are not enough.’ She added: ‘After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams. We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children.’
Fellow Democrat and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker tweeted: ‘Children went to school today and were killed in a mass shooting. Another American community shattered by gun violence. Another round of thoughts and prayers. They’re hollow words if we continue to do nothing to end the violent, unrelenting, preventable shootings in our county.’
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said of the massacre: ‘I’m heartbroken for the victims of today’s horrific shooting in Texas. You should be able to go to school, and to church, and to the grocery store without needing to worry that you’re not going to come home. It’s past time to put an end to these needless tragedies.’
Utah Senator Mitt Romney wrote of children who were ‘slaughtered’ and had their ‘lives extinguished.’ He added: ‘We must find answers.’
President Joe Biden has announced that US flags at government buildings and military bases will be held at half mast in the aftermath of the massacre
Authorities in Texas have not revealed a motive for the massacre
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy tweeted in the immediate aftermath of the shooting: ‘Oh my god. I’m shaking. I’m just shaking all over. With fear. With anger. With resolve.’
Later, Murphy appealed for legislation to address gun violence on the Senate floor asking his colleagues: ‘What are we doing?’
On the other side of the aisle, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said in a message: ‘Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde. We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding. Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.’
Texas Senator Ted Cruz thanked first responders in his remarks on Twitter
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is up for reelection this November, tweeted about her ‘heartbreak’ following the shooting
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, a leading voice in the movement to prevent gun violence, made headlines with his pleas for change on the Senate floor following the shooting
Actress and activist Alyssa Milano called out Democratic Senators Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin as well as Cruz for supposed in action on progressive issues. Milano wrote: ‘F*** you, Ted Cruz. F*** Senator Manchin and Senator Sinema. How many children have to die?’
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong chimed in saying: ‘America, we’re better than this. Deepest condolences to the families.’
In his message, Armstrong was retweeting former Miami, Austin and Houston police chief Art Acevedo who wrote: ’14 lives lost and we do nothing. It angers me to see so many elected officials on the right offer thoughts and prayers and easy gun access, and on the left too many coddling violent criminals. We need to address gun violence in a comprehensive manner, and we need to do it now.’
Former police chief Art Acevedo tweeted: ’14 lives lost and we do nothing’
Piers Morgan has been a critic of gun laws in the US since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012
Tennis superstar Andy Murray summed up his feelings on the shooting in a tweet
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose father was shot dead in 1984, made an impassioned plea for change during a press conference.
Kerr said in part: ‘I’m tired. I am so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I am so tired of the, excuse, I am sorry, I am tired of the moments of silence. Enough!’
Meanwhile talk show host and long time opponent of America’s gun laws, Piers Morgan, tweeted: ’14 schoolchildren and a teacher at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas have been shot dead by an 18-year-old gunman. Absolutely horrendous. I don’t know what else to say about these endless US gun massacres – it’s for Americans to resolve but where is the will?’
Tennis superstar Andy Murray tweeted in reply to Morgan simply: ‘F*****g madness.’
A woman reacts outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting, in Uvalde
Activist Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime, was killed in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, tweeted: ‘I am speechless. Another school shooting. At least 2 dead, including kids. Multiple injured.’
The founder Mom’s Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Shannon Watts tweeted: ‘According to the Governor of Texas, the gunman who killed at least 15 people in Uvalde is an 18-year-old who lives in the community. He had a handgun and may have been armed with a rifle, too. In 2021, Texas lawmakers lowered the age to carry a handgun to 18.’
Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara tweeted simply: ‘Goddamnit.’
MSNBC Contributor Sam Stein wrote: ‘Sorry, but this tragedy isn’t “unimaginable.” We saw ten people killed at a grocery store last week! We saw an elementary school shot up with 20 kids dead less than ten years ago. It’s very much imaginable now.’
Gun reform activist Shannon Watts tweeted about changes in Texas law that allowed 18 year old people to carry handguns
MSNBC talking head Sam Stein said tweeted that: ‘This tragedy isn’t ‘unimaginable.’
Former WWE superstar Mick Foley tweeted about the shooting
Amanda Gorman who spoke out President Biden’s inauguration called the lack of gun reform ‘insanity’ and ‘inhumanity’
Poet Amanda Gorman, who read her work ‘The Hill We Climb,’ at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 tweeted: ‘It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity—it’s inhumanity.’
Former Washington NFL star expressed his feeling saying: ‘How many innocent kids’ lives need to be lost or put in danger?’
Actress Mia Farrow tweeted a video of Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy pleading for gun reform
Former NFL star RGIII tweeted: ‘A deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas happened today. How many innocent kids’ lives need to be lost or put in danger for us as a country to change our approach to guns? How many people have to die for our country to realize WE HAVE A GUN PROBLEM?’
Actress Mia Farrow said about the shooting: ‘Politicians make a CHOICE to do NOTHING to protect our children, our neighbors, us. We have more mass shootings than days in the year. This doesn’t happen in other countries. What are we doing?’
Former WWE World Champion Mick Foley tweeted: ‘I just heard the news about the shooting in Texas. Devastated. When is enough, enough?’
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton tweeted angrily when he read the suggestion that teachers should be armed and trained to fight mass shooters.
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