Gun reform advocates hold rally on Uvalde anniversary
May 25—WEATHERFORD — Twenty-one crosses, each bearing a name, surrounded the lawn of the Parker County Courthouse Wednesday evening.
The names, as well as the people standing around them holding signs, were in remembrance of those killed in the Uvalde shooting at Robb Elementary School May 24, 2022.
"These 21 precious souls ... there was no rhyme or reason for them to not still be here," said Jeannie Lockett, one of the organizers who also serves as the vice president of the Parker County Texas Democratic Women. "This is such a serious issue. Most of us have either children or grandchildren, nieces or nephews. The thought that they're going to school every day and having to do these active shooter drills, I think about it.
"I try not to worry about it, but when you have young children, you can't not think about it."
Amy Hull's granddaughter will turn 7 next week. Safety, among others, is one of the main reasons she and her daughter made the decision to homeschool the gradeschooler.
"You feel better keeping her home, but you can't keep them from everything, from everywhere," said Hull, who helped organize the event on behalf of the Progressives in Parker County. "Obviously, the people that went to the Allen [Outlet mall], they thought they were safe taking their kids out and they were wrong."
Uvalde was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. May also marked the five-year anniversary of the Santa Fe High School shooting, where 10 were killed, and in August it will be four years since the El Paso Walmart shooting where 23 were killed.
Mass shootings have continued since then. Most recently, a gunman opened fire earlier this month at an Allen outlet mall, killing eight.
Hull said the making of the crosses brought a flood of emotions, and a heavy discussion with her granddaughter, who asked her why she was crying.
"And I had to tell her, but how do you explain that to a kid?" Hull said. "We have talked about it lightly with her — general 'bad man got a gun and went and shot people.' You want to shield them, but then you're like, 'I shouldn't, because this is reality.'
"It's sad that anywhere we go — Walmart, a restaurant — we look around to see if we'll be able to have a way out. I don't want her, at 7 years old, to have to think about stuff like that, but you do."
Wednesday's rally was meant to keep the spotlight on not only school shootings, but mass shootings in general. Those present said they feel nothing has been done to fix the problem.
"The Uvalde parents, they're still waiting for answers," Lockett said. "I feel they're dragging this out and trying to cover up as long as they can, thinking people will forget. And that's why things like this are necessary."
Less than a week remains of the regular Texas Legislative session, and nearly all bills related to gun reform have failed to advance.
House Bill 2744, from Uvalde state Rep. Tracy King, a Democrat, saw the greatest success by making it out of a House committee with bipartisan support after advocates and Uvalde parents packed the Capitol for days. It looked to raise the minimum age to purchase certain high-capacity semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, but failed days later without making it to the House floor.
"They always offer their thoughts and prayers ... and that's not working," Hull said. "We just want something done, some kind of reform to make things a little harder for the bad people to get the guns.
"We started talking about making signs for all the shootings ... it would never end, it would be covered. Until we see something done, we're going to keep protesting."
Memorial rallies were held nationwide Wednesday, including at the White House and in front of the Texas Capitol in Austin.
In Uvalde, family members and loved ones released butterflies during a ceremony and held a candlelight vigil. The Texas legislature paused for a few moments of silence at 11:30 a.m., the moment the shooter entered Robb Elementary School.
CNHI Texas statehouse reporter Ali Linan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
