LIVE STREAMING
Rep. Tony Gonzales
Rep. Tony Gonzales is the representative for Uvalde, Texas in Washington D.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

The hypocrisy of one Latino rep on full display after Uvalde school massacre

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales offered condolences after the tragedy in his district, but is getting dragged for his past gun control statements.

MORE IN THIS SECTION

Keeping it 100!

Candidata Parker in AL DIA

LVF for Arroyo

Parker v. Oh

A Historic Showdown

An Even House

The VP Tour

Gutierrez’ Senate Run

SHARE THIS CONTENT:

On May 24, 2022, Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a majority Latino town on the outskirts of San Antonio was the site of the latest mass shooting to leave the U.S. reeling and calling in outrage for more laws to control who can and can’t have a gun.

In Uvalde, an 18-year-old gunman, later identified as Salvador Ramos, who attended the local high school, crashed his car outside Robb Elementary before entering the school and killing 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers. Ramos was later killed in a shootout with police.

It is the third mass shooting in the span of 10 days in the U.S. — after last weekend’s racist attacks on Black shoppers at a Buffalo grocery store and Taiwanese worshippers at a church in Laguna Woods, California — and an eerie 10 year after the last mass shooting at an elementary school in Sandy Hook, which saw 20 children between the ages of six and seven shot and killed alongside six adult staff members.

In response, outrage around gun control was once again the topic of discussion, as has become commonplace in the aftermath of the more frequent mass shootings to happen in the U.S. in this day and age.

There are those demanding more laws that exist in other countries that haven’t had mass shootings like the one in Uvalde in decades, and those that swear arming more teachers and training them how to shoot instead of teach would end the problem in the U.S.

Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas’ District 23 (where Uvalde is located) falls into the latter category. 

Like public officials after the tragedy, he offered his thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims, and went on CBS News to broadcast the community’s hurt to the world. 

“My heart breaks for the city of Uvalde. Pray for our families,” Gonzalez posted on Twitter before quoting a Bible verse. “‘Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.’ Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”

He had similar things to say on CBS.

"Children are the most innocent thing that we have in life and we have to protect them with everything we have," he said in part of an interview.

On social media, Gonzales then retweeted a post promoting FASTER, a nonprofit program that offers firearm and first-aid training to teachers in schools so they can better respond to incidents of extreme violence (like mass shooting events).

Twitter has not let Gonzales escape by just offering his thoughts and prayers and caring about children.

Soon, a past tweet of his surfaced from March 2021, showing his celebration of voting against two gun control measures that were presented in the House. Social media pounced and has not let Gonzales up for air.

“I am a proud supporter of the Second Amendment and will do everything I can to oppose gun grabs from the far left,” Gonzales wrote.

On his campaign website, Gonzales also points to his “perfect grade” on his NRA questionnaire.

When considering Gonzales’ stance, consider the facts of the Uvalde massacre — the 18-year-old perpetrator legally bought two assault rifles for his birthday just days before committing one of the worst mass shootings in the history of the U.S.

  • LEAVE A COMMENT:

  • Join the discussion! Leave a comment.

  • or
  • REGISTER
  • to comment.
  • LEAVE A COMMENT:

  • Join the discussion! Leave a comment.

  • or
  • REGISTER
  • to comment.
00:00 / 00:00
Ads destiny link