Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott is facing criticism after responding to President Joe Biden’s announcement Thursday that he is focusing on reducing gun violence by demanding Congress get to work and by signing six executive orders. Biden’s Rose Garden address comes just weeks after two major mass shootings captivated the nation, one at an Atlanta spa that left eight people dead, another in Boulder that left ten people dead.
“Biden is threatening our 2nd Amendment rights,” Gov. Abbott falsely claimed – a charge Biden refuted even before Abbott made it.
“He just announced a new liberal power grab to take away our guns,” Abbott continued. “We will NOT allow this in TX. It’s time to get legislation making TX a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary State passed and to my desk for signing.”
There is no such thing as a “2nd Amendment Sanctuary State,” and any effort to overrule federal gun laws, which is what Abbott is proposing, would be unconstitutional.
Abbott’s attack came just a few hours before a mass shooter opened fire in Bryan, Texas, reportedly wounding six people who are now hospitalized, several are reportedly in critical condition. The gunman is at-large.
According to the Gun Violence Archive there have been 133 mass shooting events in 2021 already, with 10 mass murder events. 11,438 people in the U.S. have died this year as a result of gun violence.
The Texas Republican’s timing makes him the face of gun extremism in America, refusing to allow any common sense reforms to save lives – something President Biden promised to do.