An Arizona Democratic lawmaker launched a f-bomb-laden Twitter tirade at Sen. Ted Cruz and other conservatives after they offered prayers for the victims of Tuesday’s school shooting in Texas and their families.
The horrific attack in Uvalde, which left at least 21 dead, including 19 children and two teachers, has once again reignited the gun control debate, with Democrats calling for new laws. But when Cruz offered his family’s prayers, Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego responded with salty rage.
“F*** you, @Ted Cruz,” Gallego wrote. “You care about a fetus but you will let our children get slaughtered. Just get your ass to Cancun. You are useless.”
Fuck you @tedcruz you care about a fetus but you will let our children get slaughtered. Just get your ass to Cancun. You are useless. https://t.co/0tArGHosep
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) May 24, 2022
Then, Gallego followed up with more vitriol.
“Just to be clear f*** you @Ted Cruz you f***ing baby killer,” he wrote.
Other Democrats were critical of the GOP, blaming Republican lawmakers for not passing laws they claim would stop mass shootings. But Gallego was far harsher than any elected official. He also attacked the National Rifle Association and California Rep. Darrell Issa, who tweeted, “Our thoughts and prayers are with these families.”
“F*** your prayers,” Gallego tweeted back at his fellow House member. “They haven’t worked for the last 20 mass shootings how about passing laws that will stop these killings.”
Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde.
We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding.
Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 24, 2022
Gallego began his barrage with an attack on the National Rifle Association, tweeting, “F*** you @NRA.” The organization is holding its annual conference this weekend in Houston, where speakers will include former President Donald Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Cruz.
Cruz has long called for training and arming teachers and, like most conservatives, is skeptical that more gun laws are the answer for ending mass shootings.
The tragedy in Uvalde, which is approximately 85 miles west of San Antonio, unfolded when an 18-year-old male stormed Robb Elementary School and opened fire on students. The suspect, who The Daily Wire is not naming in keeping with its policy to deprive mass shooters of the notoriety they often crave, was quickly killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent who reportedly heard the shots and rushed into the building.
The Washington Post, which reported that the suspect was bullied for wearing black eyeliner and speaking with a lisp, cited witnesses who said he had “lashed out violently against peers and strangers recently and over the years.”
The suspect, a Latino male, reportedly cut up his own face with a knife because he claimed that it was “fun,” according to one of the suspect’s former friends. That friend indicated that the suspect drove around with another friend at night on multiple occasions and shot at random people with a BB gun.