Brett Cross, the daddy of Uziyah Garcia, made weekly journeys to the Texas State Capitol to remind lawmakers of the tragic loss of his son. A 12 months in the past, he waited anxiously at Uvalde’s civic middle for updates on Uziyah’s protection, handiest to be told that his son used to be one of 21 lives misplaced in the mass taking pictures at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Since then, Brett has vowed to stay his son’s reminiscence alive by way of advocating for legislative trade. He is disenchanted by way of the systemic screw ups that value his son’s lifestyles.
The tragedy at Uvalde used to be lined broadly by way of news retailers, however for Brett Cross, that protection has no longer been sufficient. He needs to make certain that folks have in mind Uziyah, his academics and classmates. To this finish, he made a three-hour commute to the Texas State Capitol each Tuesday all the way through the 88th legislative consultation in Austin, appearing his improve for greater than 21 expenses that have been presented in reaction to the taking pictures. Although just one invoice for Uvalde has been heard in committee, House Bill 2744, which proposes elevating the acquisition age of semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, Brett and different Uvalde households testified in improve on the listening to.
Brett implored the committee to do so: “Your ideas and prayers have not achieved anything else in the 329 days since Uziyah used to be shot via his abdomen, exiting his backbone.” He needs lawmakers to know the affect of Uziyah’s loss and the desire for gun reform. Although HB 2744 impulsively handed throughout the committee at a later listening to, the invoice didn’t make it at the Texas House Agenda, so Cross is dedicated to talking out till significant reform is completed. Despite the shortage of development, he’ll proceed to lift his voice to honor the reminiscence of Uziyah.