This week, Salon reported that Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would tell parents of young children killed in the Uvalde school shooting that “God has a plan.” Paxton’s comments follow the Republican playbook of blaming gun violence on any and everything besides access to guns.
Paxton has a long history of opposing measures to combat mass shootings and gun violence. In the aftermaths of the Sutherland Springs, El Paso, and Uvalde mass shootings, Paxton dismissed calls for gun control, suggesting criminals would ignore such laws, and instead proposed citizens arm themselves to stop mass shootings.
Paxton will face Democratic nominee and former ACLU attorney Rochelle Garza in the general election in November.
Salon: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on the Uvalde massacre: “God has a plan”
By Igor Derysh | June 17, 2022
Key Points:
- “Paxton, who took the leading role in a failed Supreme Court case aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 election, went on a media blitz to fight calls for gun restrictions shortly after an 18-year-old shooter killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in the West Texas town of Uvalde.”
- “Paxton in particular has a long history of opposing gun restrictions in response to mass shootings in Uvalde, El Paso and Sutherland Springs, arguing that mass shooters are ‘not going to follow a single gun law’ even though gun laws prevented the shooter from getting a gun until he turned 18 — the legal age to purchase an AR-15, but not a handgun — just days before the attack.”
- “Ironically, Paxton himself cannot buy a gun under federal law, because he has been under indictment since 2015 for breaking state securities law.”
- “Researchers have found no evidence that arming teachers or other school personnel has any effect on school shootings. A review of 89 journal publications and media reports by researchers at the University of Toledo and Ball State University similarly found that armed school resource officers, restrictions on the number of school exits and active-shooter drills do not help either. The ‘ideal method for eliminating school firearm violence by youths is to prevent them from ever gaining access to firearms,’ the researchers concluded, adding that ‘unfortunately, studies have found an alarming rate of firearms accessible to youths.'”
Read the full Salon report here.
More coverage of Paxton’s remarks:
People: Texas AG Faces Backlash for Saying He’d Tell Families Who Lost Children in Uvalde That ‘God Always Has a Plan’
FFRF: FFRF condemns Texas AG Paxton’s ‘God has a plan’ remarks on Uvalde massacre
Daily Kos: With talk of ‘God’s plan’ and ‘red waves,’ Republicans continue to pooh-pooh gun safety
Chron: ‘Life is short’: Ken Paxton faces backlash for suggesting Uvalde massacre was part of God’s plan
San Antonio Express-News: Ken Paxton facing backlash for saying ‘God has a plan’ for the children killed in Uvalde
Published: Jun 17, 2022 | Last Modified: Aug 26, 2022