Videos show an angry crowd booing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Uvalde elementary school memorial

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Videos show an angry crowd booing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Uvalde elementary school memorial
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was booed when he visited the makeshift memorial at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.AP Photo/Eric Gay, File
  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was booed when he visited the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
  • Videos were posted on Twitter of a crowd jeering at Abbott and his entourage when he arrived.
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Crowds booed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott when he visited a Robb Elementary School shooting memorial on Sunday.

Abbott was visiting the area in Uvalde, which was made into a memorial for the 19 children and two adults killed in the Texas school massacre. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden also paid their respects at the makeshift memorial the same day.

In videos posted to Twitter, a sizeable crowd of people was seen jeering at Abbott when his entourage walked toward the memorial.

"Please, Governor Abbott, help Uvalde county," a man yelled as Abbott went past. "We need change! We need change, governor!"

Memorial attendees also begged Biden to "do something" about gun violence when he visited on Sunday.

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"We will," Biden replied.

Abbott came under fire this week after commenting that the mass shooting "could've been worse." He also blamed mass shootings on mental health concerns, despite there being no concrete evidence that the Texas gunman had a mental illness.

Abbott has consistently pushed for relaxed gun restrictions in Texas. In 2021, he supported a series of laws to expand gun rights and access, including one that makes it legal to carry a handgun without a license.

He also tweeted in 2015 that he was "embarrassed" about Texas being the second-ranked state in the number of gun purchases, telling Texans to "pick up the pace."

During Abbott's tenure as governor, there have been six mass shootings in the state. But even after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Abbott declined to endorse new gun restrictions while indicating in a speech to the NRA that "laws have not stopped madmen from carrying out evil acts on innocent people in peaceful communities."

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Other Texas politicians have also been involved in heated confrontations over the Texas school shooting. On Saturday, video captured Sen. Ted Cruz being excoriated by a former Texas House candidate at a restaurant. Benjamin Hernandez called Cruz out on his pro-gun stance, yelling: "Nineteen children died! That's on your hands! Ted Cruz, that's on your hands!"

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