Joint CHC Chair and Members Statement Honoring the Victims of Uvalde School Shooting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CHC Communications: Brian Garcia | brian.garcia3@mail.house.gov
Rep. Joaquin Castro: Geneva Kropper | geneva@mail.house.gov
Rep. Maxwell Frost: Samantha Ramirez | samantha.ramirez@mail.house.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Nanette Barragán issued a joint statement alongside Reps. Joaquin Castro (TX-20) and Maxwell Frost (FL-20) on the one-year mark of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
“One-year ago today, the lives of 19 innocent children and two brave teachers were brutally cut short -- marking the deadliest school shooting in Texas’ history,” said Chair Barragán. “These bright young students arrived at their classrooms ready to learn as they eagerly awaited summer break. Yet, they never made it home to their families and loved ones due to a senseless and evil act of violence that rattled our nation’s core. This tragedy evoked Congress to pass the first major gun violence prevention legislation in decades. But clearly, there’s more to still be done. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to ending the gun violence epidemic that plagues communities across the United States. My heart and prayers are with the victims’ families and the entire Uvalde community as our country mourns this tragedy together.”
“My heart aches at the pain that families in Uvalde continue to bear, one year after the horrific massacre at Robb Elementary. Uvalde is an overwhelming Mexican American community; a small town where people work hard and raise strong families. Before May 24, 2022, families in Uvalde could send their kids to school with every expectation they would be safe. This shooting was a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Representative Joaquin Castro. “The tragedy that struck Uvalde is all too common in our country. After the 2019 shooting in El Paso, Texas governor Greg Abbott said he was going to make it harder for massacres to happen again. Instead, Texas Republicans loosened gun laws and put families in greater danger. Congress made some progress with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act last year, but it wasn’t enough. We need universal background checks, a ban on assault rifles, and a higher age for gun purchases to end America’s gun violence epidemic.”
“One year since the shooting at Robb Elementary, since we lost 21 lives and a whole community was changed. Today we hold those 21 faces and the families of these victims close to our hearts and remember their pain as we continue in the relentless fight for a world without gun violence,” said Representative Maxwell Frost. “The journey of healing for the Uvalde community and every single community touched by this epidemic will be a life-long one. But the answer to this crisis is not thoughts and prayers. It’s policy and action. I vow I won’t stop until we see that action.”
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