UNICEF decries Texas school shooting; questions lawmakers over kids' safety outside home

Pained by the death of 19 innocent children in an unprecedented mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the director of United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Catherine Russell on Wednesday questioned lawmakers that "how many more children will die before leaders act?" In a brief statement, the UN body's chief expressed her grief over the "horrific" massacre that claimed the lives of young students and two teachers. In a stern tone, she asked what must be the cost for the government to make the schools a "safe place."  

"Tragedy after tragedy...shooting after shooting...young life after young life: how many more children will die before government leaders act to keep children and their school safe... Because until they do, these horrors will continue," Russell said in an emotional message.

She further said that the children attacked and killed in Uvalde, Texas, were attending school -- the one place outside their homes where they should be safest yet "they will never return home."

US mourns mass killing of elementary school kids

In the deadliest mass violence in a decade, at least 19 children and 2 teachers were shot dead by an 18-year-old high school student in the Latino neighbourhood of Texas. The assailant went on the rampage after he shot his grandmother in the face and then crashed his car on Tuesday. Identified as Salvador Ramos, the attacker was gunned down by cops, regional administration informed. 

According to Education Week, this is the 27th gun violence incident in schools recorded in America. US media reports claimed the incidents surpassed the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that sent a chill down the spine in 2012. At least 20 kids were killed in the attack, in addition to 6 faculty members. "Yesterday, it happened in Texas...Where will it happen next? This year, we have already seen horrific attacks on schools in Afghanistan, Ukraine, the US, West Africa, and beyond," Russell noted in her emotive statement. She added those who witnessed the carnage will bear the "emotional and psychological scars" for the rest of their lives.

Joe Biden demands gun law reforms after Texas shooting

As more information emerged regarding the gunman, calls for gun reforms have also escalated in the US.  According to the Associated Press, Ramos, who was a resident of Uvalde, purchased the guns from a licensed gun dealer. On May 18, he bought 375 rounds of ammunition, which now proves that he had planned the attack way before. He entered the school building with an AK-47-style handgun, reports stated.

Aggrieved by the death of children in the mass murder, US President Joe Biden in his address to the nation on Tuesday urged lawmakers to support what he called "common-sense gun laws." He stressed, "I am sick and tired, we have to act." In an emotional speech, Biden also extended his condolences to the family of the victims.

Echoing Biden's appeals was US Senator Chris Murphy, who almost broke down on the Senate floor "literally on hands and knees". He urged his GOP colleagues to "find a path forward." 

(Image: AP)