'Ted Cruz, F-ck You!': Anger Erupts at Gun-Loving GOP After Mass Slaughter in Texas

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, was among those who refused to hide his fury at the right-wing lawmakers whose allegiance to the powerful gun lobby has allowed mass killings like the one in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday to continue.

On Twitter Wednesday, Guttenberg railed against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who took $300,000 in donations from the gun lobby during his last Senate race, after the senator said he was "fervently lifting up in prayer" the victims of the shooting.

"Ted Cruz, FUCK YOU," said the gun control advocate. "This is on your hands. Don't put out messages like this."

"I'd like to tell them all to go F-off because of what they did, what they do. The way they politicize guns and violence led us to this day."

Guttenberg's comments came a day after he appeared on MSNBC to offer support to the 21 families who lost loved ones in the southwest Texas town before saying pro-gun politicians "fucking failed our kids again" and calling on Cruz to work with Democrats to pass gun control legislation.

"You be the Republican who says, 'I've had enough,' because if you don't, get your ass out of office, you don't belong there," he said.

Cruz is scheduled to speak at the National Rifle Association's (NRA) conference taking place in Houston this weekend.

The senator has told activists in recent years that "it's not that easy" to pass gun control legislation such as universal background check requirements--which are supported by the vast majority of Americans, including 72% of NRA members.

"I guess cashing his check from the NRA this weekend will be pretty easy, though," writer and gun control advocate Ben Jackson said.

In addition to Murphy, who angrily asked Republican lawmakers, "Why are you here?" in his Senate floor speech, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) unleashed on his right-wing colleagues including Cruz and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). Along with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sinema has objected to filibuster reform, making it impossible for her own party to pass gun control legislation as well as other Democratic agenda items.

"Fuck you, Ted Cruz, you fucking baby killer," Gallego said.

At the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, civil rights attorney Sherilynn Ifill cautioned the majority of Americans who support gun control against believing Cruz's claim that "nothing can be done" to keep mass shootings from happening.

"It is designed to make you give in to the exhaustion of this moment," Ifill said. "Don't believe it. It's a lie. We have power if we mobilize it."

"Every lawmaker at every level who has refused to adopt reasonable gun control--who has allowed guns and high-capacity magazines to fall into the hands of those who should not have them--who has ignored the safety of our children and communities--should search their hearts and recalculate their priorities," said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director of MomsRising.

"America's moms do not want to raise our children in a country with so much violence, where our children are not safe, where mass shootings are commonplace, where there are more guns than people," she said.

"We deserve better. We will work to make sure lawmakers who protect our children and communities are elected, we will push hard for gun safety measures, and we will hold each other close and love and care for each other," Rowe-Finkbeiner added. "We do all this because no mother, father, child, son, daughter, or community should ever have to endure losses like those that happened today."