Uvalde School Shooting | Sofia Ung

In a country where we are secured, “Life, Liberty, and Happiness,” these recent events have only justified the hypocrisy of our government.

On Tuesday, May 24th, 21 innocent people were killed in a massacre at a Texas Elementary school. Among those 21, 19 were children and two were adults. This tragedy took place in Uvalde, Texas in what is now among the deadliest American school shootings since the events of Sandy Hook Elementary just a decade ago.

Just ten days ago, a gunman at a Buffalo supermarket shot ten people. This shooting of Uvalde has only deepened a national political debate over gun laws. Kids in the school that were near the shooting called to tell their parents that they were safe. But as they waited for updates on social media, many wondered if those who have been shot were their friends.

The shooting took place before noon at Robb Elementary School, where second through fourth-graders were preparing to start their summer break. Among the two adults and 19 children killed, more than 20 were injured.

Officials have identified the gunman to be Salvador Ramos, but are unsure whether he had been targeting the school or was there for some other unknown reason. The perpetrator was an 18-year-old man armed with multiple weapons, who attended a nearby high school. The horrified parents of the Uvalde community waited for communication about their children's safety as law enforcement officials rushed to understand how the attack came to be.

The events of Robb Elementary School brought back heartbreaking memories of the events of Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The massacre of Buffalo ten days prior was one of the deadliest killings in recent history, until Uvalde.

On Tuesday night, President Biden grew emotional when making a statement about the incident and called for immediate action. He said, “Where in God's name is our backbone, the courage to do more and then stand up to the lobbies?”

The National Rifle Association is set to hold its annual meeting in Houston starting on Friday, with Governor Abbot alongside former President Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, and other Republicans.

Coincidentally, the shooting took place on Election Day in Texas, as voters across the state headed to the polls for primary runoffs for November. The state and nation have been divided by political disagreements over race, immigration, abortion, and gun control.

These killings only perpetuate the debate over gun control and the Second Amendment rights back into the forefront of national attention.