Uvalde families travel to Edinburg to rally for Beto O'Rourke ahead of debate

EDINBURG — About 35 relatives of Uvalde school shooting victims traveled 280 miles to the Rio Grande Valley to rally in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Friday, just hours ahead of his debate with Gov. Greg Abbott.

Since the May shooting at Uvalde's Robb Elementary School, families of the victims have been demanding lawmakers take action to prevent another similar tragedy, including raising the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, instituting red flag laws and requiring universal background checks for gun purchases.

Abbott has ignored their pleas to call a special session of the Legislature and called the prospect of raising the minimum rifle purchase age "unconstitutional" — an argument that gun control activists have disputed, pointing toward other states, including Republican-dominated Florida, that have adopted similar laws. 

On Friday, several parents who lost their children in the Uvalde massacre urged Texans to vote for O’Rourke, who strongly supports the gun restrictions backed by the parents.

"I'm speaking directly to moms when I say our babies’ lives are on that ballot. It happened to me, it can happen to you, and this pain, it'll bring you to your knees begging for an end,” said Kimberly Mata-Rubio, mother of Lexi Rubio, who was killed in the May 24 shooting. 

Watch live: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Beto O'Rourke debate

“I implore you to ask yourself, do you want to send your child off to school and have them return? Do you want to hug them every night? Do you want the opportunity to watch them grow? Then vote accordingly. vote for Beto, because a vote for Abbott is a grave mistake. He has repeatedly refused to enact stricter gun laws, and has instead expanded gun rights. Had Abbott prioritized the lives of his most vulnerable constituents over guns, then I wouldn't be here today. I would be at home with Lexi,” Mata-Rubio said. 

In July, Abbott directed $105 million to address school safety, with $50 million of that going to buy bulletproof shields for police officers. But he has called gun restrictions “not a real solution” to ending mass shootings.

Mata-Rubio, along with several other Uvalde victims’ families, have made multiple trips to Washington and Austin, to demand that lawmakers pass meaningful gun control legislation. On a recent trip, Mata-Rubio tweeted a photo of her and her husband, Felix Rubio, sitting down with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. 

More:What's on the line for Abbott, O'Rourke in Friday's debate?

After showing him a photo of their daughter in her child-sized casket, Mata-Rubio tweeted that she asked Cruz whether he would support a federal ban on assault weapons. He said no. 

In a discussion during the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin in September, Cruz doubled down on his position that gun restrictions would not be effective in preventing mass shootings, instead advocating increased school security and mental health resources. 

On Friday, Felix Rubio, Lexi’s father who served in the military and completed two tours in Iraq, said that’s not enough. 

"I held a weapon of war. It doesn't belong at home, and especially not in the hands of an 18-year-old kid,” Rubio said. “I went to war and I made it home. My daughter went to school and was murdered in her classroom."

Gloria and Javier Cazares, parents of Jackie Cazares, another Uvalde victim, echoed the Rubios. 

"If changes were made years ago, my daughter would still be alive today. After 77 minutes, my daughter was transported to the hospital with a heartbeat. She later died while a stranger got to hold her hand,” said Gloria Cazares, in tears. 

"There's nothing that I can do that is going to bring my daughter back. But I'm thinking for the future mom who will one day be in my shoes,” said Cazares.

After the families spoke, O’Rourke addressed the media. "Nothing has changed to make it any less likely any other child, in any other classroom in any other community in Texas, meet the same fate as these 19 children did on the 24th of May... along with their 2 extraordinary teachers,” O’Rourke said. 

Abbott’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.