(Marco Bello / Reuters)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has blamed mental health problems at a school shooting in Uwalde that killed 19 children and two teachers.
“Before we came here, we had a long conversation with law enforcement at all levels … and I asked the sheriff and others an open question and got the same answer from the sheriff as from the mayor of Uwalde. the question was what is the problem here? And they were candid and emphatic. They said … “we have a mental health problem in this community.” And then they clarified the scale of the mental health challenges they face in the community and the need for more support for mental health in the region, “Abbott said.
Just before these remarks, Abbott said the shooter used AR-15 to carry out the shooting and had no known history of mental health.
The governor also said that mental health and counseling services were available to the community affected by the shooting.
When a reporter later asked about the ability of an 18-year-old to buy firearms, Abbott doubled and said it was a “mental health challenge” when someone uses a gun to shoot someone else.
“So the ability of an 18-year-old to buy a long pistol has been around in Texas for more than 60 years, and think about the fact that we haven’t had episodes in those 60 years and why we haven’t “We’ve had school shootings and why are we doing it now?” the governor said.
“What I know in conversations with leaders here, as well as leaders elsewhere in the state, and the only thing that has changed significantly is the state of mental health in our communities. What I know is this and that we as a state, we as a society need to do a better job with mental health. Anyone who shoots someone else has a mental health challenge, period. We as a government need to find a way to address this mental health challenge and do something about it, “he said.
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