John Legend did not hold his tongue in a series of tweets in response to Tuesday’s (May 24) horrific elementary school mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, specifically calling out the state’s Sen. Ted Cruz for what the singer and activist labeled said was his “idiocy” in the face of the unspeakable tragedy.
“Dear God. The idiocy. No gun reform. Just door reform from Ted Cruz,” Legend wrote alongside a video of a press conference given by Cruz on Wednesday in which the Republican — who is slated to speak at the National Rifle Association’s annual gathering in Houston this weekend along with former Pres. Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and several other prominent Republican legislators — suggested that the slaughter of 19 children and 2 teachers could have been prevented if the back door to Robb Elementary School had been locked.
“I can’t imagine why any Texan would want this slimy coward representing such a proud state,” Legend continued of Cruz, who Brady United noted has received more than $176,000 in campaign contributions from the NRA while representing a state that has more than 3,100 gun deaths per year. Legend’s anger came amid reports that the 18-year-old alleged shooter legally purchased two AR-15 military-style weapons after his birthday last week along with 375 rounds of ammo, which he allegedly used to kill grade schoolers while barricaded in the elementary school after shooting his grandmother in the face.
Legend also lambasted the NRA, which has spent tens of millions to combat new gun legislation, for what he labeled a nonsensical response to the latest mass shooting committed with a high-capacity tactical weapon meant for war. “’More armed guards! Arm the teachers! Arm the librarians! Arm the school nurse! Why stop there? The 8-year-olds need weapons too.’ F-k the NRA,” he tweeted.
“The NRA represents gun manufacturers,” Legend continued. “They need you to buy more guns. Their answer will continue to be to ratchet up the civilian arms race. So much blood is on their hands.” In another tweet, Legend responded to a Wednesday Fox News appearance by Cruz, who called the shooting “horrific,” while touting his failed efforts to pass legislation that would “harden” schools with armed police officers and add bullet-proof glass and doors while again discussing unlocked doors. A recent study from the CDC revealed that firearm injuries became the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the U.S. in 2020
“Evil nonsense. The answer for the NRA and its toadies like Ted is ALWAYS that we need MORE guns,” wrote Legend. “They’d rather ‘harden’ our schools than deal with the problem. We already have the most guns in the world.” The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives recently reported that gun production in the U.S. has tripled over the past 22 years, with the nation now awash in more than 400 million guns.
CNN reported that Tuesday’s mass shooting was at least the 38th at K-12, colleges and universities so far this year, which has seen 212 mass shooting incidents in 145 days so far. Legend joined the loud chorus of Democratic politicians, gun reform activists, parents of children murdered in mass shootings and a number of fellow musicians — including Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift and Madonna — pleading with leaders to pass any common sense gun legislation to stem the tide of gun-related mass killings that that since 2009 have numbered 274, resulting in the killing of 1,536 men, women and children and wounding of 983 Americans.
See Legend’s tweets below.
Dear God. The idiocy. No gun reform. Just door reform from Ted Cruz https://t.co/TOLoZXbHS8
— John Legend (@johnlegend) May 26, 2022
I can’t imagine why any Texan would want this slimy coward representing such a proud state.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) May 26, 2022
“More armed guards! Arm the teachers! Arm the librarians! Arm the school nurse! Why stop there? The 8-year-olds need weapons too.” Fuck the NRA
— John Legend (@johnlegend) May 26, 2022
The NRA represents gun manufacturers. They need you to buy more guns. Their answer will continue to be to ratchet up the civilian arms race. So much blood is on their hands.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) May 26, 2022
