Greg Abbott tweet telling Texans to buy more guns resurfaces following school massacre

A tweet sent by governor of Texas Greg Abbott urging Texans to buy more guns has resurfaced following the school massacre in the state.

In 2015, the Republican politician shared an article comparing the number of firearm purchases in different states in America and bemoaned Texas for being in second place.

He wrote: "I'm EMBARRASSED: Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA. Let's pick up the pace Texans."

Some seven years later, a shooter killed 19 children and two adults when he opened fire at Robb Elementary School, a primary school in South Texas.

The 18-year-old suspect had a handgun, an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity magazines, investigators say and the teenager is also suspected of shooting his grandmother.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

In a speech from the White House, US President Joe Biden said he was "sick and tired" of responding to mass shootings, as he called for gun control.

"How many scores of little children who witnessed what happened - see their friends die, as if they're in a battlefield, for God's sake," he said. "They'll live with it the rest of their lives."

And Abbott said: "Texans are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime & for the community of Uvalde. Cecilia & I mourn this horrific loss & urge all Texans to come together. I've instructed @TxDPS & Texas Rangers to work with local law enforcement to fully investigate this crime."

Maybe owning guns isn't the best idea after all.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.