In the wake of the gun massacre in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two adults dead, many have tried to offer solutions on how to prevent more of the same. Gun control activists have a simple solution: gun control legislation, arguing that the easily availability of semi-automatic weapons is what enabled this and other mass shootings. Republicans, however, have blamed everything but guns. One of them, Ted Cruz, even blamed doors, earning him scorn online and on late night television.
Cruz was also one of the speakers who didn’t cancel his appearance at the annual NRA convention, held mere days after the massacre, less than a five hour drive away in Houston. His speech wasn’t as bleak as the one given by former president Donald Trump. But it might have been enough to get him heckled at a restaurant afterwards.
#BREAKING: Several hours after the #NRAconvention, Indivisible Houston board member @TheBenjaminHdz challenged Ted Cruz to support background checks & other reform measures during a dinner break.
See the full clip.#TedCruzHasBloodOnHisHands #TedCruzChildMassacre pic.twitter.com/LxvnaGzZJN
— Indivisible Houston (@indivisibleHOU) May 28, 2022
As per Newsweek, Benjamin Hernandez, a board member at the activist group Invisible Houston, approached Cruz at an eatery. The video begins with the two posing for a photo, all smiles. As soon as the picture is taken, Hernandez’s tone pulls a 180, and he starts grilling Cruz about his stance on gun control, which he does not support. (Indeed, during his speech, Cruz repeated the old NRA line, “What stops armed bad guys is armed good guys,” ignoring that Uvalde cops on the scene reportedly did little to stop the mass shooter.)
Hernandez asked Cruz about background checks, saying, “Is that so hard?” Cruz accused Hernandez of not wanting to have a real discussion. He also repeatedly asked the Texas senator, “Why does this keep happening?”
As security personnel dragged Hernandez away, Cruz smiling and waving at him, he shouyted out, “Why, when 19 children died?”, adding, “Nineteen children died. That is on your hands. That is on your hands.”
Invisible Houston describes itself on its Facebook page as “an inclusive coalition at the Houston level to fight the rise of tyranny in America.” Hernandez was part of the throngs outside the convention center, protesting the NRA’s gathering. Cruz, however, seems to have mistaken him for one of his many young fans.
You can watch the video in the tweet embedded above.
(Via Newsweek)