Uvalde Mom 'Destroyed' By Loss of Only Daughter, Calls Texas Gov. Abbott 'Embarrassment'

[In It to Win It]

Rolling Stone via Yahoo News

Ana Rodriguez lost her only daughter in the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, this week. She calls it utter madness that the gunman was able to legally purchase two AR-15 rifles the minute he turned 18 this month, but still couldn’t get served at a bar.

“How can an 18 year-old buy an AR but he cannot buy beer? That is absolute insanity,” Rodriguez, 35, tells Rolling Stone.

Speaking in a her first interview since the rampage claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers — including her 10-year-old daughter Maite Rodriguez — the devastated mom says she heard the father of another victim highlight the disparity in the minimum ages for gun buying and drinking in Texas, and she wanted to amplify the message.

“In my opinion, nobody’s brain is fully developed at the age 18. You’re still a child, and what would a child do with an AR? I guess we all know now,” she says.

Rodriguez, who went from planning her daughter’s future to planning her funeral all in the same week, says that even amid her blinding grief, she can see Gov. Greg Abbott’s refusal to even consider stronger gun laws in the aftermath of Tuesday’s tragedy for what it is, inexcusable.

“He is an absolute embarrassment to Texas,” she says of the two-term Republican governor who’s heading into an election against Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, the former U.S. Representative who interrupted an Abbott press conference Wednesday to call the tragedy “totally predictable” due to lax gun regulation.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My heart goes out to this mom, Ana Rodriguez, who was destroyed when her only daughter died.

Nobody should have to bury their child. NOBODY.

Beto must be the next Governor of Texas.

[renate]

2. Instead of excusing this kind of massacre, leaders should condemn it

It really is that simple. How can our leaders (“leaders”) do anything but express their horror at this massacre of innocents? We’re not the ones politicizing it—THEY ARE. It’s a tragedy but they’re the ones doing PR. Not us.

My heart aches for every child, every parent, every brother and sister and grandparent and friend. That’s what normal people feel. To do anything else is to politicize. And that is what the GOP are doing. Good for this mom for not putting up with their gaslighting.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. This lady is correct as to Greg

Gerg is indeed an embarrassment

[orleans]

4. "embarrassment" at a minimum--and far too polite a description nt

[True Blue American]

5. Trudeau

Really put our Republicans in Congress to shame. The NRA needs to be disbanded, babkrupted, and for sure no tax exempt status. Wipe them out with lawsuits, including their officials and any Politician that uses their money.

[Stuart G]

6. K & R