Sadness, devastation, and anger are some of the emotions sweeping the nation and expressed by state leaders on Delmarva after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas took the lives of 19 children and two teachers Tuesday. Several leaders in Delaware and Maryland have shared their sentiments and calls to action following the tragedy.
Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan, released a statement via Twitter Tuesday evening, saying in part, "Schools should never be a place of fear. No mom or dad should ever have to worry when they send their kids off to school whether they'll come home safely. Our state security team - including the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Department of Emergency Management - has offered its full support and assistance to state and local officials in Texas."
Also in Maryland, United States Senator, Ben Cardin, said, "I feel sick that this keeps happening. My heart goes out to all of the parents who sent their sons and daughters off to school this morning, a supposed safe space, never to see them again."
Representing Delaware, United States Senator, Tom Carper, speaking as a father, said on Tuesday, "Though my own boys are now grown adults, I am thinking of when I used to tuck them into bed and help them with their homework. I am thinking of when they were the age of the 18 elementary school children gunned down at their school today."
Many of their responses also call for action, with some saying thoughts and prayers aren't enough and that the nation needs to address gun violence.
U.S. Senator, Chris Coons, said in a tweet Tuesday, "A decade after Sandy Hook, we have not really moved forward at all. It is far past time to meet this moment with action."
His colleague, Senator Carper, also ended his statement calling for change. "As I am mourning this tragedy, I refuse to accept inaction," he wrote. "I refuse to accept that the mass slaughter of children in their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade classrooms is normal. I refuse to believe that Congress can't reform our gun laws in a way that the American public broadly supports."
Senator Cardin ended on a similar note. "We must work together to translate our grief into collective action," he said. "Congress and lawmakers at every level of government must make changes to ensure our neighborhoods are safer for every American, regardless of who they are or where they live. We must break through the gridlock and finally do something that will save lives.'"
The death toll has been updated since these statements were released.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden ordered American flags be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims in Texas. Virginia Governor, Glenn Youngkin, also ordered state flags be lowered until May 28.