Parents of school shooting victims bring gun violence prevention bus tour to Austin

AUSTIN, Texas - The parents of children killed in mass shootings brought their nationwide bus tour to the Texas State Capitol to raise awareness about gun violence.

The bus tour is visiting cities impacted by mass shootings, including Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were killed, and Parkland, where 17 people were killed and 17 injured.

"I want you to imagine when you hear the news that your son ain't coming home ever," said Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah was killed at Robb Elementary in May 2022.

That’s what happened to all the families at the press conference in the Capitol Monday afternoon.

"We the parents, the ones that carry the pain, the ones that cry every single day, every single minute we remember our kids," said Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

(Meredith Aldis)

Manuel and Patricia Oliver are spending their summer driving a revamped school bus around the country as part of their ongoing gun violence prevention effort.

"There's nothing that we can do to bring Joaquin back. But at least we can do a lot to bring awareness ongoing violence," Patricia Oliver said.

The Olivers plan to visit almost 25 cities in about 50 days, but may be going to more cities as mass shootings continue to happen across the country. The Associated Press reports 30 so far this year.

"We go to city to the next city to see where innocent people were shot. Do the math, think about it, it could be an eternal tour, because since we left Parkland, many mass shootings have happened so far," Manuel Oliver said.

Parents and victims joined them at the Capitol on Monday on this tour stop. "I understand that this is the building where political inaction happens in Texas," Manuel Oliver said.

(Meredith Aldis)

They are asking for Texas lawmakers to act against gun violence.

"I refuse to let my daughter just be another number," said Gloria Cazares, whose daughter was killed in Uvalde.

"We're not going away and every session that you guys decide not to do anything to try and prevent gun violence, we add more families to the people behind me," Cross said.

During the regular legislative session, House Bill 2744, a bill that would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic weapons, passed out of committee. But the House Calendars Committee opted not to advance it to the full chamber.

"We were able to breathe life into the families of Uvalde and help them and support them and push for them to raise the age and whether they think they moved the needle or not, y'all did, because for the first time in five years, lawmakers in Texas had to listen to survivors in Texas," said Rhonda Hart, whose daughter was killed in the Santa Fe High School shooting in 2018.

The families said they aren’t giving up. The Olivers’ next stops are Uvalde and El Paso.