Following the Texas school shooting that left 21 people dead, including 19 kids, Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke tweeted, “These massacres aren’t natural disasters, acts of God, or random. They are totally predictable, direct consequences of the choices made by Greg Abbott and the majority of those in the legislature.” The democrat later called on gun-loving Governor Abbott to “immediately withdraw” from the (gun-free) National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Houston this weekend.
On Wednesday, O’Rourke attended a press conference at Uvalde High School, where he approached and criticized Abbott (and his GOP cronies) in person for doing nothing after yet another mass shooting. “You’re offering us nothing. You said this is not predictable. This is totally predictable,” he said. “This is on you until you choose to do something different! This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state, or they will continue to be killed, just as they were in Uvalde yesterday.” His comments were greeted by those on stage with jeers of being told to “sit down” and that he’s “out of order.” The same man also called O’Rourke a “sick son of a b*tch” for making the mass shooting a “political issue.”
O’Rourke was led out of the auditorium by security. Watch it below.
"This is on you until you choose to do something": Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott at briefing on Texas elementary school shooting. https://t.co/RdYLvfum24 pic.twitter.com/bqbQXTPm6O
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 25, 2022
Meanwhile, this was Abbott’s response to the shooting.
Texas Gov. Abbott: "It could have been worse."
— Neda Toloui-Semnani (@Neda_Semnani) May 25, 2022
O’Rourke’s justified confrontation is being praised on Twitter.
Wow! Beto O'Rourke just crashed Gov. Abbott's press conference on the Uvalde Massacre and demanded he do something about the state's gun problem. Thank you, @BetoORourke!
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) May 25, 2022
Good for Beto. https://t.co/BaE8H7bg7h
— Peter King (@peter_king) May 25, 2022
You are my hero @BetoORourke. From the bottom of my heart, for my daughter Jaime and all victims of gun violence, thank you. pic.twitter.com/zW3msBSmo3
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) May 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/TonyAtamanuik/status/1529526401556152329
Beto has the balls the rest of those fake ass racist cowboy GOP Texans just pretend to. Give ‘em hell!@BetoORourke
— NoelCaslerComedy🌙 (@caslernoel) May 25, 2022
Look at these good ol’ boys terrified at the sight of Beto O’Rourke. https://t.co/OG8MsaC2x0
— bettemidler (@BetteMidler) May 25, 2022
We need more of this. It's time for an #actup-type coalition to the push for action against gun violence. #Beto https://t.co/pQsVLbnX42
— Jill Geiger (@JillMGeiger) May 25, 2022
He said what we all wanted to say. #BetoForGovernor #BetoORourke my men @GregAbbott_TX is in trouble now . It’s on you my guy. https://t.co/CqaL7jwFuE
— Armando Arrieta (@Arrieta2205) May 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/TheBigG84/status/1529525032464044034
https://twitter.com/ericalaff/status/1529524995789135880
Hey Texas @BetoORourke has balls. @GregAbbott_TX has balls… in his mouth. So Texas what's it going to be? Guns? Or kids? What is more important to you? Are you going to show some balls and stick up for kids or you going to keep sucking https://t.co/uh928mQaDu
— Sebastian Bach™️ (@sebastianbach) May 25, 2022
Beto O’Rourke just lit Greg Abbott’s ass up at his press conference. He’s speaking for all of us right now.
— 𝐁𝐞𝐤𝐬 (@antifaoperative) May 25, 2022
Confront every Republican politician the way that Beto just did.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 25, 2022