Residents of Uvalde, Texas, attended a prayer vigil Wednesday evening for the victims of a school shooting the day before. Video / AP
America has been devastated by a spate of mass shootings in recent days, including the Texas primary school massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Late last month, gunman Salvador Ramos entered a classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, armed with military-grade weapons and accessories he had been able to purchase legally just days after his 18th birthday a week before.
He then opened fire on terrified students and teachers in a gruesome attack that was the deadliest since Sandy Hook in 2012.
The shooting naturally reignited the nation's gun control debate, with students from hundreds of schools across the country staging powerful protests to push for change.
But today, a new announcement by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in response to the Uvalde shooting has sparked renewed outrage – and it proves yet again that America just doesn't get it.
Texas governor Greg Abbott's new announcement has sparked outrage.
In a letter sent to the Texas Education Authority (TEA), the Republican leader directed the organisation to "provide strategies to make Texas public schools safer" in the wake of the attack.
Among the new measures were orders to instruct school districts to identify actions at the start of the school year to make campuses more secure; to develop strategies to boost the numbers of trained law enforcement officers on campuses; and to conduct "weekly inspections of exterior doors" to prevent intruders.
"In the wake of this devastating crime, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that our schools provide a safe and secure environment for the children of Texas," Abbott's letter reads.
"You should immediately prepare additional rules to ensure that existing school facilities are also held to heightened safety standards.
"We must do everything possible to protect children and safeguard our schools."
Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference. Photo / AP
Americans erupt
The announcement sparked an immediate backlash, with furious Americans lashing the lack of meaningful action on guns.
"How about some common-sense gun legislation in addition to the school safety reinforcement???" one outraged Twitter user said.
"There's IS something else you could try," another posted.
"I would like to request that you realise the school security isn't the issue. An 18 year with 2-AR 15s and over 1500 rounds is the problem. But let's do it your way & see what happens! Thoughts & prayers are working wonders as well!" another added.
Others pointed out that the focus on securing doors was particularly meaningless.
"These shooters put a lot of planning into their attacks. If one door is locked, they'll find another. They may go after one of the many outbuilding classrooms. They may pick off students if students are made to enter and exit the school through a single door. It is the GUN," one person tweeted.
Others also pointed out that increasing security at schools would do nothing to curb shootings in any other public places such as shops, churches, concerts and workplaces.
A man pays his respects at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honour the victims killed in a school shooting. Photo / AP
Biden shares horror statistic
On the same day Abbott made his controversial announcement, US President Joe Biden delivered a passionate message to Congress urging leaders to finally act on gun control.
He also shared a staggering statistic on Twitter, revealing that in the past 20 years, more school kids had died from gunshot wounds than "on-duty police officers and active duty military combined".
Among the measures Biden is pushing for are a ban on "assault weapons" and high-capacity magazines, or at least an increase of the purchasing age from 18 to 21, and stricter background checks.
"We should reinstate the assault weapons ban high-capacity magazines that we passed in 1994 with bipartisan support in Congress and the support of law enforcement," Biden said. "Nine categories of semiautomatic weapons were included in that ban, like AK-47 and AR-15. And in the 10 years it was law, mass shootings went down.
Over the last two decades, more school-age children have died from guns than on-duty police officers and active duty military combined.
Think about that.
For God’s sake how much more carnage are we willing to accept?
"But after Republicans let the law expire in 2004 those weapons were allowed to be sold again. Mass shootings tripled. Those are the facts."
He also called for a limit to "how many rounds a weapon can hold".
"Why in God's name should an ordinary citizen be able to purchase an assault weapon that holds 30 round magazines - that lets mass shooters fire hundreds of bullets in a matter of minutes?" Biden asked.
