Rep. Gonzales on Uvalde shooting anniversary: Will be ‘a long time before we are whole again’ 

On the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde school shooting, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) said that while more work on to protect school children from gun violence needs to be done, the Uvalde community is “hopeful” for the future.  

“And while we are healing and it’s going to be a long time before we are whole again, we’re also very hopeful,” Gonzales said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” 

The Uvalde school shooting left 19 children dead along with two teachers after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, and shot and killed 19 fourth graders. Eighteen others were injured, including 14 students.  

Gonzales voted last year to support the bipartisan gun safety bill, sparking criticim from his Republican colleagues. Texas Republicans voted to censure him last year “for lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities” over his vote.  

“You know, we are in a very divided environment, political environment right now you have people on one side and people on the other a lot of folks demonize one another. I’ve never viewed the world that way,” he said of the censure Wednesday.  

He also said that more work needs to be done to secure the safety of children in schools.  

“What I see is the fight isn’t over. There is much that has to be done and until our children are safe in our schools, nothing can happen,” he said.  

President Biden is slated to deliver remarks about the one-year anniversary of the shooting on Wednesday, where he will likely reiterate his call for gun reforms, like banning assault weapons.