Anti-immigrant, white supremacist rhetoric fueled gun violence and domestic terrorism that killed 23 people and injured dozens
For Immediate Release: August 3, 2023
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Today marks four years since the El Paso shooting, the domestic terrorist attack that shook latinos across the country. The massacre is one of the deadliest assaults against latinos in U.S. history. Five of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in America over the past eight years have been in Texas. Meanwhile, Texas has failed to advance life-saving gun safety legislation and take serious steps to combat extremist rhetoric.
“The bloodshed from the El Paso massacre and every other mass shooting in Texas is on Republican’s hands. When politicians like Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott say there is an invasion at the border, it has real consequences. This shooter drove all the way down from North Texas just to kill latinos, citing the ‘Hispanic invasion of Texas’,” said Senator Roland Gutierrez,
“In the two regular legislative sessions since the El Paso tragedy, Texas has failed to provide meaningful solutions to the gun violence crisis. Republicans have scammed Texans into a broken system where they do nothing, while our families die in malls and churches and our children die in schools. The people of Texas are fed up, and we deserve better.”
Gun violence has wreaked havoc in Texas’ communities of color, with the El Paso, Uvalde, and Cleveland massacres affecting mostly latino victims. May’s mass shooting in Allen took place in a diverse community with the majority of victims coming from communities of color.
As Republicans like Ted Cruz block meaningful policy on reducing gun violence, a majority of Texans strongly support common sense gun safety solutions like extreme risk orders and raising the age limit to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21.
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