Halle Berry, Britney Spears & More Stars Furious After Texas School Shooting

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After 19 students and two adults were killed by an 18-year-old gunman at their elementary school in Texas on May 24, celebrities took to social media to voice their outrage.

Why does this keep happening? Once again, we find ourselves mourning the lives of young people, who died senselessly due to gun violence. An “active shooter” entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24 and killed at least 19 children and two adults, according to the New York Times. Dozens more are injured, and it looks like the fatality number is dangerously close to rising. Upon hearing the news, celebrities took to social media to share not only their sorrow, but their fury over the news that young people had been attacked and killed at their school.

Prince Jackson

The son of Michael Jackson took to Instagram to post a heartbreaking throwback video of his dad discussing school shootings. “Who among us would have believed that the sound of children at their playgrounds would be replaced by the sound of automatic machine gun fire at our schools?” Michael said in part, while standing at a podium. “Truly heartbreaking to see all this ignorant and unnecessary violence being enacted against the innocent and defenseless,” Prince captioned the post on May 25. “I’m still lost for words and I don’t know what could be done but SOMETHING MUST BE DONE. Please keep the victims and survivors of these horrible crimes in your thoughts/prayers and hearts.”

Tina Lawson

Beyonce‘s mom added words of frustration and sadness about the senseless shooting in a May 25 Instagram post. “Another sleepless night feeling depressed and helpless about how sick the world has become,” she wrote alongside a composite photo of the children who were killed. “So much hate and evil ! It is also evil and irresponsible to sell two assault rifles to a 18 year old . What could he possibly plan to do with those. We have to fight to get stronger gun laws people.”

Halle Berry

Halle Berry took to Instagram to post about the senseless violence in Texas. “This HAS to stop,” she wrote. “WE must demand that our government DO BETTER!” She also re-posted quotes from others, including Amanda Gorman, about the tragic situation.

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Britney Spears

One day after the shooting in Uvalde, Britney Spears gathered her thoughts to post on Instagram about the tragedy. “My heart is shattered. I’m lost for words,” Britney wrote. “My prayers are with the victims of Robb Elementary and their families. Our sympathies and condolences are just not enough. We have to take action. We need change. Enough is enough. We will keep our prayers coming even if it’s not enough to heal the loss.”

LeBron James

LeBron James was one of the first celebrities to publicly react about the shooting with two tweets on Twitter. “My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families of love ones loss & injured at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX! Like when it enough is enough man!!! These are kids and we keep putting them in harms way at school. Like seriously ‘AT SCHOOL’ where it’s suppose to be the safest!,” his first tweet read.

“There simply has to be change!, HAS TO BE!!,” he wrote in a second tweet with sad face emojis. “Praying to the heavens above to all with kids these days in schools.”

Josh Gad

Josh Gad also expressed concern for the “nation” — especially children. “We as a nation care more about celebs fighting in court than children dying in classrooms,” he wrote. “And to everyone who claims to be pro life, where is your compassion for the children who die every f*ucking week in this nation by the military grade guns you cherish?”

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He also responded to a 2015 tweet from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which said, “I’m EMBARRASSED: texas #2 nation for new gun purchases, behind CALIFORNIA. Let’s pick up the pace Texans. @NRA.”

“14 kids,” Josh’s response read.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift reposted a video of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr‘s speech about the shooting along with her own message. “Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep,” she wrote.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama took to his social media to share words about the shooting. “Across the country, parents are putting their children to bed, reading stories, singing lullabies-and in the back of their minds, they’re worried about what might happen tomorrow after they drop their kids off at school, or take them to a grocery store or any other public space,” he wrote. “Michelle and I grieve with the families in Uvalde, who are experiencing pain no one should have to bear.”

“We’re also angry for them,” he continued. “Nearly ten years after Sandy Hook-and ten days after Buffalo-our country is paralyzed, not by fear, but by a gun lobby and a political party that have shown no willingness to act in any way that might help prevent these tragedies. It’s long past time for action, any kind of action. And it’s another tragedy-a quieter but no less tragic one-for families to wait another day.”

“May God bless the memory of the victims, and in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds,” he concluded.

Beto O’Rourke

Beto O’Rourke, who is running for Governor of Texas, took to Twitter shortly after the shooting to share a tweet that explained the Texas shooting could have been stopped if action was taken after the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting back in 2012. He also revealed he thinks current Governor Abbott “made it easier” for the people in his state to have guns in public. “The moment to stop Uvalde was right after Sandy Hook. After Santa Fe High. After El Paso. Instead, Abbott made it easier to carry guns in public. The moment to stop the next slaughter is right now,” he wrote.

Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris made a speech shortly after the shooting and advised U.S. citizens that the country needs to stand against gun violence to prevent horrific shootings, like the one in Texas, from happening again. “I would normally say in a moment like this we would all say naturally that our hearts break but our hearts keep getting broken,” Kamala said in part of the speech. “You know I think there are so many elected leaders in this room, you know what I’m talking about. Every time a tragedy like this happens our hearts break and our broken hearts are nothing compared to the broken hearts of those families and yet it keeps happening.”

“So I think we all know and have said many times with each other: Enough is enough. Enough is enough,” she continued. “As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again. To the people of Uvalde, please know that this is a room full of leaders who grieve with you and we are praying for you and we stand with you. And it is difficult at a time like this to think about much else, but I do look around this room and I know who is here and I know this is a room full of American leaders who know and have the courage to take a stand.”

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez took to Twitter to share a message about the shooting, which took place in her home state. “Today in my home state of Texas 18 innocent students were killed while simply trying to get an education. A teacher killed doing her job; an invaluable yet sadly under appreciated job. If children aren’t safe at school where are they safe?” her tweet read.

She added another tweet with a link to a movement looking to stop gun violence. “It’s so frustrating and I’m not sure what to say anymore. Those in power need to stop giving lip service and actually change the laws to prevent these shootings in the future,” she wrote.

Chris Evans

Chris Evans‘ tweet was short but passionate. “F*CKING ENOUGH!!!!,” it read.

Chris Evans’ tweet about the Texas elementary school shooting. (Courtesy of Twitter)

Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner took to her Instagram story to share a message about the shooting. “another school shooting,” she wrote with disturbed emoji faces. “devastating. breaks my heart for these families.”

Steve Kerr

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke out about the shooting in a press conference and demanded change. “Now we have children murdered at school,” he said. “When are we going to do something?! I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to devastated families that are out there. I’m tired of excuses, I’m tired of moments of silence. Enough! There’s 50 senators who refuse to vote on HR-8, which is a background check rule that the House past two years ago.”

“There’s a reason they won’t vote on it — to hold on to power,” he continued. “So, I ask you, Mitch McConnell, I ask all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence and school shootings and supermarket shootings. I ask you, are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of our children, our elderly and our churchgoers? Because that’s what it looks like.”

“I’m fed up. I’ve had enough. We’re going to play the game tonight. But I want every person here, every person listening to this, to think about your own child, grandchild, mother, father, sister, brother — how would you feel if this happened to you today? We can’t get numb to this! We can’t just sit here, read about it, have a moment of silence, and yell, ‘Go Dubs! Come on Mavs, let’s go!’,” he concluded.

Ana Navarro

Ana Navarro expressed her frustration in more than one tweet. “Jesus Christ. Another mass shooting in America. This time in an elementary school,” she began her first tweet. “How many Americans, how many little kids, need to die before we finally say enough and throw-out those standing in the way of gun reform?”

“If you are one of the spineless cowards held hostage by the gun-lobby and have an obstacle to sensible gun reform, just shut the f*ck up, right now,” her second tweet read.

Maria Shriver

Maria Shriver wrote, “Stunned. Heartbroken. This shoulder terrify us all” in her tweet.

Bette Midler

Bette Midler also posted a lengthy tweet that demanded change. “WHAT IN GOD’S NAME ARE WE DOING? THIS HAS GOT TO CHANGE!,” she wrote. “THIS NATION IS FULL OF PEOPLE WHO CANNOT CONTROL THEIR WORST IMPULSES AND THE INNOCENT ALWAYS PAY THE PRICE! DON’T SAVE FETUSES ONLY TO HAVE THEM DIE AT SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOUR GUNS MORE THAN LIFE! FOR SHAME!!!”

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton called for legislators to stop gun violence in her tweet. “Thoughts and prayers are not enough. After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams. We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children,” she wrote.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington shared her thought “as a mother” and sent her prayers to the people connected to the tragedy. “As a mother, this is the tragically unimaginable,” she wrote. “School should be a SAFE place. My heart breaks for the pain and suffering of every family member and loved one connected to today’s events in Texas. My prayers are with you.”

Stephen King

Stephen King demanded gun control in his tweet. “GUN CONTROL NOW! STOP THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS!,” he exclaimed.

Henry Winkler

Henry Winkler wrote, “I all for rights , but our Children have the right to see a tomorrow ..” in his tweet.

George Takei

George Takei had “no words” for the shooting in his tweet. “14 children and 1 teacher. There are no words. And there are no actions ever taken,” he wrote.

Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen mentioned taking away reproductive rights over guns in his tweet. ” What a f*cked up country this is. Take away women’s reproductive rights but give everybody a gun. What could go wrong,” he wrote.

Andy took to Twitter again May 25 with another scathing message. “This motherf***er turned 18 and bought an assault rifle the next day?” he tweeted. “Do you know how hard it is to adopt a pet? But you can buy an assault rifle easy breezy? #BanAssaultWeaponsNow.”

 

Joy Behar

Joy Behar called the country “lost” in her tweet. “Out country is lost. I weep for our children,” she wrote.

Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman called the shooter a “monster” in her tweet. “It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity—it’s inhumanity,” she wrote.

She added a second tweet that read, “The truth is, one nation under guns.”

Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey has added his comments about the shooting, with especially poignant thoughts about the tragedy in his hometown. “As you are all aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas,” he wrote via Instagram May 24. “Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.

The true call to action now is for every America to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror and ask ourselves ‘what is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?’ We cannot exhale again, make excuse, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo.

As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it’s time we re-evaluate and renegotiate our wants and our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue.

This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.

And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss. But if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming.”

Patton Oswalt 

Patton Oswalt responded to Texas Senator Ted Cruz‘s tweet about the shooting, which offered prayer to the children and families and thanked law enforcement and first responders for acting “swiftly” during the horrific incident. “I don’t want to go down in history as a monster. I want that title RIGHT NOW,” Patton’s response read.

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