Texas parents, who lost children in the Uvalde school shooting, protested outside the governor's residence with audio recordings of their children who were slain, calling for stricter gun laws.
At the early Saturday morning gathering in downtown Austin, one parent yelled, "If we can't sleep, neither can you!" according to a report from The New York Post.
The parents yelled their kids' names in between the recordings.
Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, said at the rally: "These are the voices of our children! This is all we have left because you don't give a damn!"
The demonstration was a part of a wider movement led by the gun control organization March for Our Lives, which is urging Abbott to call a special session of the state legislature to increase the legal age to purchase semi-automatic firearms from 18 to 21.
Later on Saturday morning, a bigger crowd assembled at the Texas State Capitol to demand Abbott take action to stop more killings in the state.
"We're here to drive home the message that we are living on borrowed time, and more kids will die if we don't take action like raising the age to purchase an AR-15 to 21," March for Our Lives spokesperson Noah Lumbantobing told NPR earlier in the week.
Gov. Abbott Not Interested To Act on Parents' Call?
Abbott, a fervent supporter of firearms, so far demonstrated little interest in the parents' demand. When asked whether the governor supported raising the buying age, a representative chose not to comment and instead cited Abbott's initiatives to assist mental health and school safety.
In an email, the governor's press secretary Renae Eze stated: "As Governor Abbott has said from day one, all options remain on the table as he continues working with state and local leaders to prevent future tragedies and deploy all available resources to support the Uvalde community as they heal."
"More announcements are expected in the coming days and weeks as the legislature deliberates proposed solutions," she added, per HuffPost.
Several parents claimed their private discussions with Abbott this month ended on a negative note.
Lumbantobing said that when the governor was pressed by March for Our Lives and the parents about implementing tighter gun regulations, Abbott replied that it wouldn't happen.
School Security Boosted
Pete Arredondo, the police chief in charge of the shooting incident, was dismissed by the Uvalde school district on Wednesday following a vote. According to an NPR report, his dismissal was one of the numerous actions taken after the massacre, and the relatives had demanded it of the dead children and instructors since late May.
Abbott stated this month that the Texas Department of Public Safety would send over 30 law enforcement personnel to Uvalde for the start of the new school year at the request of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.
The governor issued an order to state school safety officers this summer to take preventative steps to safeguard student safety. In a letter, Abbott outlined his instructions and listed actions, including access-point evaluations of school facilities and safety training for school workers.
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