The families of the victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting didn’t wait until sunlight for their latest rally for gun reform. At first, they didn’t even do the talking.
Instead, relatives relayed their message by playing an audio clip of children’s voices outside the Governor’s Mansion before sunrise on Saturday.
Jazmin Cazares, who has been advocating for gun reform on behalf of her sister, Jackie, Tweeted a video of the demonstration, adding “Time is now 5:40am, if we don’t get to sleep, neither does @GregAbbott_TX.”
It was before the relatives headed to the steps of the Texas Capitol, where they spent Saturday urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to raise the minimum age to purchase an automatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old.
They also shared memories and details of the 19 students — including Jackie — and their two teachers who died at the hands of an 18-year-old gunman on May 24.
Only Abbott can call a special session, and he has so far resisted doing so. His press secretary, Renae Eze, told KSAT in an email that “all options remain on the table.”
“More announcements are expected in the coming days and weeks as the legislature deliberates proposed solutions,” a portion of the statement reads. Last week, federal judge U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in Fort Worth struck down a firearm restriction in Texas. He ruled that the state law prohibiting most 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying a handgun outside the home violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms and cannot be enforced.