Ololade Adeyanju/
A 42-year-old cancer patient, whose nephew was among the schoolchildren injured in the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of 19 others and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, has accused the state governor, Greg Abbott, of putting pressure on them oppose the growing demand for a stricter gun control across the US.
Tweeting via @MyCancerJourne3, he stated that the governor, who is a known supporter of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the foremost lobby group for US gun manufacturers, sent a emissary to induce his family to appear alongside him at an event to denounce the call for stricter control on gun ownership.
He said Abbott’s representative also offered to pay the family if they agreed to the proposal.
After rejecting the offer, he said the unidentified representative of the governor threatened them with lawsuit if they ever made the discussion public.
His tweets read, “Uvalde Update: We were finally able to see my living nephews body to confirm identity. Shot in the face. While leaving to return home we were followed by what was assumed to be media, which win we do not wish to speak during this time.
“4 mins after returning home a knock on the door. It’s a representative for Gov Greg Abbott. He informed us he’s willing to pay us to stand with the Gov and say we don’t need stronger gun laws. To which almost got this clown hurt. He was asked to leave and said that if we speak about this conversation we will be facing charges and possibly worse.
“We responded with fuck you, try me and find out. Then we were told people get hurt and disappear all the time. Fuck Greg Abbott and this harassment while we all mourn.”
The Texas governor had earlier tried to classify the horrific incident as a mental health issue and not a consequence of the weaknesses of the existing gun laws, which made it possible for the 18-year-old shooter, Salvador Ramos, to purchase two AK-47 assault rifles, which he used in committing the slaughter.
“Before coming out here, we had a long discussion with law enforcement at all levels,” said Abbott at a press conference on Wednesday.
“I asked the sheriff and others an open-ended question and got the same answer from the sheriff as well as from the mayor of Uvalde. The question was, what is the problem here? And they were straightforward and emphatic. They said … ‘we have a problem with mental health illness in this community.’ And then they elaborated on the magnitude of the mental health challenges that they are facing in the community and the need for more mental health support in this region.”
“The implication was clear: The shooter was deranged. And he was part of a broader mental health challenge facing Texas and the country.”
But in what marked a direct contradiction of his latest claim in the wake of the Uvalde tragedy, Governor Abbott cut $21 million from the department that oversees mental health in the state earlier this year.
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