DEVELOPING Latest updates on the major wildfires currently burning in Canada
Thousands of Canadians have been displaced as fires burn in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba. Here are the latest updates.
Surrounded by fellow Republicans on a high school stage, Gov. Greg Abbott was wrapping up his opening remarks about the killing of school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, when Beto O'Rourke strode forward from his seat in the audience.
“Gov. Abbott, I have something to say," the Democrat challenging Abbott for governor this fall said Wednesday, pointing a finger at his rival. "The time to stop the next shooting is right now, and you are doing nothing.”
A mix of boos and cheers rose up from the crowd as the former congressman and 2020 U.S. presidential candidate briefly spoke, then was escorted from the room. Sen. Ted Cruz, standing behind Abbott, shook his head and said “sit down!” while one woman in the crowd chanted, “Let him speak.” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin yelled that O'Rourke was a “sick son of a b----.” Some people cried.
And with that, the briefing transformed into an argument similar to the one happening in many corners of America after yet another school shooting that inflicted a shocking death toll — 19 children and two teachers.
Democrats want to talk about enacting restrictions on who can possess a firearm and what type of weapons should be available, while Republicans say such laws are meaningless and prefer to focus on other issues like school security — or to avoid the discussion at all.
“We need all Texans to in this one moment in time put aside their own agendas, think of somebody other than ourselves, think about the people who are hurt,” Abbott said immediately after O'Rourke exited, his voice rising.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, taking the microphone moments later, insisted it was time now to focus on the victims and their families, adding: “This is not a partisan issue. This is not a political issue.”
But for many — including those in the high school auditorium — the partisanship and the politics are inescapable. Tuesday's mass shooting in the small town west of San Antonio was just the latest to occur in Texas in recent years. After a gunman killed 23 people in a racist 2019 attack that targeted Hispanics at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas lawmakers loosened gun laws.
Abbott said Wednesday that he considers the steps the Republican-controlled Legislature took in 2019 to be the “most profound” action anywhere in the U.S. to stop school shootings. He and other GOP officials said the proper place to focus is on mental health and “hardening schools,” or making them more secure, rather than on restricting guns.
He called existing gun laws in Chicago, New York and California ineffective.
“I hate to say this, but there are more people who are shot every weekend in Chicago than there are in schools in Texas. And we need to realize that people who think that ‘Well, maybe we just implement tougher gun laws’ is going to solve that — Chicago and LA and New York disprove that thesis," he said.
Abbott’s claim is not supported by federal health data. California and New York consistently register lower rates of firearms deaths than Texas, and have among the lowest per capita rates of firearms deaths in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Even with the violence in Chicago that Abbott cites, Illinois too posts a lower firearms death rate than Texas.
Meanwhile, O'Rourke stood outside in the parking lot, where he continued calling for gun control.
“If we do nothing, we will continue to see this,” he said, “year after year, school after school, kid after kid.”
Residents of Uvalde also echoed the two sides of the debate.
Ariana Diaz, 17, said she has friends in the close-knit community who lost siblings and mothers. Speaking outside her high school, where the news conference was being held, Diaz said she’d like to see O’Rourke elected governor. She noted that the shooter was 18 and able to buy two guns.
“It’s not OK," she said. “He’s only 18. He’s not even old enough to purchase an alcoholic beverage. He should not be old enough to purchase a gun.”
Laura Ligocky, 41, said that as a mother the shooting was “gut wrenching” but she does not see restrictions on guns as a solution.
“Everybody wants gun control, and I don’t think it’s helping,” she said, in the parking lot where O’Rourke was calling for restrictions on firearms. “I think it’s making matters worse.”
___
Burnett reported from Chicago. Associated Press reporter Jake Bleiberg contributed from Dallas.
Thousands of Canadians have been displaced as fires burn in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba. Here are the latest updates.
Slovak politicians have called for calm in the Central European country after Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times by a would-be assassin on Wednesday, a rare instance of political violence that came as a shock despite deep political polarization.
Auto technology has evolved and many newer cars use wireless key fobs and push-button starters instead of traditional metal keys. But that technology also makes things easier for thieves.
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.
May 20 is Victoria Day. If you're going across the border this long weekend, follow these tips for a smoother trip.
Chief Robert Michell says relief isn't the right word to describe his reaction as the search begins for unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school he attended in northern British Columbia.
Of the $40-million Aiden Pleterski was handed over two years, documents show he invested just over one per cent and instead spent $15.9 million on "his personal lifestyle." The 25-year-old Oshawa, Ont. man was arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering on Tuesday.
A man from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been sentenced to four years behind bars after shooting a sex worker in the back during a drug-fuelled 43rd birthday.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.