Texas Governor Greg Abbott jokes about shooting journalists after Greg Gianforte body slams one

| 10:10 pm EDT May 27, 2017
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Just two days after Greg Gianforte was charged with assaulting “The Guardian” journalist Ben Jacobs Governor Greg Abbott of Texas jokes about shooting journalists. A joke? I don’t think many find this funny.

Abbott signed Senate Bill 16 into law, legislation lowering the license to carry fee from $140 to $40, and lowering the renewal fee from $70 to $40, which will take effect on September 1st. Abbott, like Trump, has now taken to holding up his signed bills and showing them off for photo ops. After signing the bill Gov. Abbott decided to take target practice at the gun range where he signed the bill. Again, like Trump, Abbott wanted to demonstrate his shooting expertise and display his target practice poster to the media. Abbott then joked, “I’m going to carry this around in case I see any reporters.”

For any journalists coming to Texas to cover any event you might want to keep Gov. Abbott’s speech in mind, especially when visiting Austin where he resides at the Governors Mansion.

Texas is now an “Open Carry” and “Campus Carry” state. Open Carry took effect January 1st 2016 and Campus Carry took effect on August 1st 2016. Concealed handgun license holders in Texas can carry their weapons into public university buildings, classrooms and dorms. What makes things much more concerning is that Texas is a “Stand Your Ground” state, just like Florida.

What makes the Campus Carry law more deplorable is the fact that it went into effect 50 years After the U.T. tower shooing. On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman took rifles and handguns to the University of Texas clock tower. He opened fire on people indiscriminately on the campus below and shot and killed fifteen people, including one unborn child. Whitman also injured thirty-one other people. Even though I was only 10 years old at the time, I remember the mass shooting at the University of Texas. My father was a graduate from the U.T. and was devastated by this horrendous event.

With all the violence and attacks stirred up by the volatile speeches of Donald Trump during his presidential campaign and statements like this from Governor Abbott it is no surprise that we see hate crimes and assaults on the rise in the United States. When governors start thinking its funny to joke about shooting any person then its time for the people of American to wake up!