Selena Gomez called on politicians to “stop giving lip service” to gun control and “actually change the laws” following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday, May 24.
Gomez, who was born and raised in Grand Prairie, Texas (outside Dallas), wrote on Twitter Tuesday night, “Today in my home state of Texas 18 innocent students were killed while simply trying to get an education. A teacher killed doing her job; an invaluable yet sadly under appreciated job. If children aren’t safe at school where are they safe?” (The death toll has since been updated to 19 students.)
As part of her call to action, Gomez shared a link to the website for the nonprofit, Everytown for Gun Safety. She continued: “It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore. Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future.”
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It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore. Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future. https://t.co/xCTiOdjv6I
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) May 25, 2022
At least 19 children and two adults were killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde; the school educates second, third, and fourth graders. The shooter was identified as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old man who lived in Uvalde and died at the scene.
Along with Gomez, another major Texas celebrity to voice his frustration with yesterday’s tragedy was Matthew McConaughey, who was actually born in Uvalde. The actor issued his own rallying cry of sorts, but stopped short of specifically calling for stricter gun legislation, nor did he mention guns or the second amendment. “We must do better,” McConaughey said. “Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.”
Elsewhere, Taylor Swift wrote, “Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde… By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak.” And Olivia Rodrigo, at her concert in Los Angeles last night, said, “I wish we would never have to worry about our safety or our lives at places that are dedicated to our learning and growing. And I’m so heartbroken that this is the reality that we’re living in — and we need stricter gun control laws in America.”