"Texans mourn the victims of this senseless crime, [We] mourn this horrific loss and urge all Texans to come together," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Tuesday, May 24, after the shooting in this town near the border. with Mexico.

Hours earlier, an 18-year-old opened fire in a primary school, killing 19 children in their 10s and two teachers.

And this "in an atrocious and insane way" added this ultraconservative.

The shooter was later shot dead by police.

The drama shocked the United States and many other countries.

"It's time to turn pain into action," reacted Joe Biden, visibly moved, in a solemn address at the White House.

"When, for the love of God, are we going to face the gun lobby?", Launched the American president, saying he was "sickened and tired" in the face of the litany of school shootings.

Shortly after the shooting, many netizens resurrected the governor's old tweets: "I'm ASHAMED: Texas is 2nd in the nation in new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA. Let's pick up the pace, the Texans," Greg Abbott tweeted in October 2015.

I'm EMBARRASSED: Texas #2 in nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA.

Let's pick up the pace Texans.

@NRA https://t.co/Ry2GInbS1g

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 28, 2015

Observers, specialists and ordinary citizens accuse Greg Abbott of "hypocrisy".

Because this Republican himself announced last January to have "signed more than 20 laws to protect the rights of the second amendment" of the American Constitution - guaranteeing the right to bear arms - he said, declaring his running for a third term as governor.

If the motives of the Uvalde shooter are still unknown, the young American would have bought a rifle, ammunition and paramilitary clothing legally.

"Ultraconservative" with "very tough positions"

"Greg Abbott is an ultraconservative: he replaced Rick Perry, who arrived after George W. Bush, and follows the same tradition", explains to France 24 Françoise Coste, professor of American civilization at the University of Toulouse-Jean-Jaurès .

"His big difference is that he is disabled [he is paraplegic since an accident at the age of 26, editor's note], a rare thing in American and Republican political life. Some might have thought that he would therefore be empathetic and have a social sensitivity , but it's quite the opposite: he is known for very tough positions, especially on weapons, abortion and immigration."

Since June 2021, this unwavering supporter of ex-President Donald Trump has signed several emblematic laws for American conservatives, starting with a text authorizing any adult Texan to carry a firearm in public and to apply for a license.

In September, the Southern state began enforcing one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the United States.

"But he is very hypocritical: like his party, Greg Abbott insists that the killings are only a matter of mental health. But he is against Obamacare! He is therefore against programs that would establish a psychiatric follow-up for the most disadvantaged", summarizes the researcher.

In his press conference, Wednesday, May 25, Greg Abbott repeated several times that the assailant was a "demented person", "without criminal history or mental illness".

Although he insisted that "there was no information that could have predicted" this tragedy, the governor nevertheless insisted on "the resurgence of mental health problems in the town of Uvalde, according to local authorities".

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"He delights in exploiting the ideological differences between the reds and the blues [the Republicans and the Democrats, editor's note]", says the researcher.

"Not only does he exacerbate these positions, but he also makes horrible jokes about them, like this tweet about arms sales."

Favorite in gubernatorial elections despite 'lack of charisma'

But Greg Abbott does not have the "charisma" of his predecessors, he is rather an "enigma", estimates the monthly

Texas Monthly.

"Overall, he's been more focused on what he opposes: the 'radical liberal' agenda."

This strategy seems to be bearing fruit: the 63-year-old Republican has never lost an electoral deadline and is the favorite in the gubernatorial elections scheduled for November, despite "a robotic voice", according to the Politico site.

Even before declaring his candidacy for a third term at the head of Texas in January, he had already raised 55 million dollars (about 52 million euros) for his campaign - more than any other Texas candidate - in more support from Donald Trump.

"He is on the same line as the ex-president, and that is enough to reassure voters, because his ideas go without saying," adds Françoise Coste.

"His lack of charisma is not very serious at the local level".

Abbott scheduled to speak in front of the NRA

But many voices are raised against him after the killing of Uvalde.

Especially since, according to MSNBC journalist Kyle Griffith, the governor was to speak at the annual meeting of the American pro-arms lobby, the National Rifle Association (NRA), on Friday, May 27.

An intervention planned for a long time, but which falls badly.

Especially since the event is planned in Houston, "a few hundred kilometers from Uvalde", in the presence of Republican Senator from Texas Ted Cruz and former President Donald Trump.

At the moment, Republicans Greg Abbott, Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump are scheduled to speak at the NRA's annual meeting in Houston in three days.

Houston is only a few hundred miles away from Uvalde.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 24, 2022

"Despite his contradictions, Greg Abbott is not going to change his opinion on guns, because that would spell the end of his career: every time a Texas Republican mentioned possible gun control, it was his death politics", specifies Françoise Coste.

Opposite, the first credible Democratic rival in years

His rival for the post of governor, Beto O'Rourke, seems to want to capitalize on this renewed debate around the proliferation of firearms.

The new "star" of the Democratic Party tweeted on Wednesday that "these massacres are not natural disasters, nor acts of God, nor the fruit of chance. They are direct and completely foreseeable consequences of the choices made by Greg Abbott and the majority of the members of the legislative body".

This young Democratic candidate wants to "test the power of his camp" in November, in a solidly conservative state but "whose population has become very diverse in recent years", according to the New York Times.

"These elections will be interesting, because the Democrats did not arouse the envy of Texan voters until then and that has changed," continues Françoise Coste.

"And it will be very generously funded by the party, so the race will be competitive."

"But he has very little chance of winning," dismisses the researcher, despite the latest drama.

Democratic candidate for Texas government Beto O'Rourke at a rally in Fort Worth, Texas, March 1, 2022 © LM Otero, AP

No position change

Because the debate runs practically empty given the absence of hope of an adoption by Congress of an ambitious national law on the question.

Chris Murphy, Democratic Senator from the state of Connecticut (northeastern United States), "begged" his elected colleagues on Tuesday to act, assuring that these tragedies were not "inevitable": "This does not happen only in this country, and nowhere else. In no other country do children go to school thinking they might be shot."

But according to Françoise Coste, these calls are in vain: "The ideological fractures have been even more radical since the presidency of Donald Trump, the whole party had to follow him in radicalization".

The United States – the most heavily armed country in the world, according to the Swiss group of researchers Small Arms Survey – cannot change its rules without the agreement of 60 out of 100 federal senators. arms, already have an overrepresentation in the Senate, the upper house is split equally between Democrats and Republicans.

"It is not possible to change the Republicans currently. If the shooting of Sandy Hook [which made 26 victims in 2012, including 20 children aged 6 and 7, Editor's note] was not enough to incite a change, this will not do anything either", regrets Françoise Coste.

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