The mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, has sparked nationwide grief and outrage. The lives of 19 young students and two teachers were cut tragically short on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas—just days before summer break. It occurred nearly 10 years after the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in December 2012, in which 20 children and six adults were killed.
This fact, and it being on the heels of another mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, has rallied cries for gun control. Many prominent figures are using their massive platforms to express their sorrow, fury, and desire for action so that tragedies like Uvalde can be avoided in the future.
One of the most impassioned responses came from Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. On the day of the shooting, he said he would refuse to “answer any basketball questions” hours before Game 4 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. He then used the press conference to talk about gun violence and gun control, which you can read in full below.
Steve Kerr on today's tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas. pic.twitter.com/lsJ8RzPcmC
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 24, 2022
Here is a transcript of Steve Kerr's powerful message:
I'm not going to talk about basketball, nothing's happened with our team in the last six hours. We're going to start the same way tonight. Any basketball questions don't matter.
Since we left shootaround, 14 children were killed 400 miles from here, and a teacher. And in the last 10 days we've had elderly Black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we've had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California, and now we have children murdered at school.
When are we going to do something? I'm tired, I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I'm tired of the moments of silence. Enough.
There's 50 senators, right now, who refuse to vote on H.R.8, which is a background check rule that the House passed a couple of years ago, it's been sitting there for two years. And there's a reason they won't vote on it: To hold onto power. So I ask you, Mitch McConnell, I ask all of you Senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings and supermarket shootings, I ask you: Are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children, and our elderly, and our churchgoers? Because that's what it looks like. It's what we do every week.
So I'm fed up, I've had enough, we're going to play the game tonight, but I want every person here, every person listening to this to think about your own child, or grandchild, or mother, or father, or sister, or brother — how would you feel if this happened to you today? We can't get numb to this. We can't sit here and just read about it and go, ‘Well, let's have a moment of silence, yeah, go Dubs, come on Mavs, let's go.' That's what we're going to do, we're going to play a basketball game. And 50 Senators in Washington are going to hold us hostage.
You realize that 90 percent of Americans, regardless of political party, want background checks, universal background checks? 90% of us. We are being held hostage by 50 Senators in Washington who refuse to even put it to a vote, despite what we, the American people, want. They won't vote on it because they want to hold on to their own power. It's pathetic. I've had enough.
Kerr is far from the only outraged, frustrated, and heartbroken public figure to speak out. Former President Barack Obama noted that just 10 days after the racist massacre in Buffalo that the country is dealing with another gun-related disaster. “It’s long past time for action, any kind of action,” he writes. “And it’s another tragedy—a quieter but no less tragic one—for families to wait another day.”
See more reactions from prominent people, below.
Celebrities and other prominent public figures are speaking out about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. Former President Barack Obama shared his thoughts in a series of tweets.
Across the country, parents are putting their children to bed, reading stories, singing lullabies—and in the back of their minds, they’re 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.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 25, 2022
We’re also angry for them. 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.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 25, 2022
May God bless the memory of the victims, and in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 25, 2022
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy gave a speech about the shooting, asking, “What are we doing?”
“Why are you here?!”
A furious Sen. Chris Murphy demands answers from senators following Texas school shooting.
“Why do you spend all this time running for the United States Senate…if your answer, is as the slaughter increases, as our kids run for their lives—we do nothing?” pic.twitter.com/9fkJ13vWGd
— ABC News (@ABC) May 24, 2022
Beto O'Rourke, the Democratic candidate for Texas Governor, made his voice heard at a press conference.
Beto O’Rourke interrupts ongoing press conference by Texas Gov. Abbott and other officials. pic.twitter.com/qa8YY0ghQy
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 25, 2022
American poet and activist Amanda Gorman commented on the inhumanity of it all.
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.
— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) May 24, 2022
Celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, LeBron James, Taylor Swift, and others expressed their sorrow and frustration.
Uvalde, Texas, USA. pic.twitter.com/0iULRGtREm
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) May 25, 2022
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 (@KingJames) May 24, 2022
There simply has to be change! HAS TO BE!! 😔😔😔😔🥺🥺🥺🥺.. Praying to the heavens above to all with kids these days in schools. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 24, 2022
Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep. https://t.co/Rb5uwSTxty
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) May 25, 2022
It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore. Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future. https://t.co/xCTiOdjv6I
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) May 25, 2022
It happens, and then life goes on. Then it happens again. And the only thing that changes – the literal only thing – is that it happens sooner and sooner
— Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) May 25, 2022
Thinking of Columbine today. Those survivors are still so young. I honestly don’t know how anyone in these communities, schools & families keep it together at all. https://t.co/Jc3r0prmvX
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 24, 2022
It's BEEN enough. We've been at “enough” for centuries.
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) May 24, 2022
Don’t anyone dare do “thoughts and prayers”. We are way past that. We need reasonable gun legislation like every other rational country
— Mia Farrow🇺🇦 (@MiaFarrow) May 24, 2022
18. Children. What will it take to prioritize humanity over politics?
— dan levy (@danjlevy) May 25, 2022
Late night talk show hosts also gave heartfelt reactions to the tragic events with one clear message: something needs to change.
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