The White House assures that the National Rifle Association contributes to the problem of armed violence in the US

MADRID, 27 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, has indicated that the National Rifle Association (NRA) contributes to the problem of armed violence in the United States in the framework of the celebration of its annual convention in Houston.

"They represent the interests of the arms industry, the arms manufacturers who market weapons of war to young adults. They do not represent the gun owners who know we need to take action," he stressed.

In this sense, he has described as "shameful" that the NRA "and its allies" have "got in the way" of "promoting measures that we all know will save lives" and will keep "weapons away" from people who terrorize the communities.

"When we gather in Houston, we will reflect on these events, pray for the victims, recognize our patriots, and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools safe," the NRA said in a statement.

On the other hand, asked about a possible unilateral presidential action to deal with the scourge of weapons in the country, the White House spokeswoman did not respond and pointed out that the Biden Administration has issued "a policy of zero tolerance for arms dealers who sell them illegally.

"This president has done more through executive action than any other president during his first year in office. Now, what we are asking is for Congress: we are urging them to take action," he said.

Videos posted on social media, apparently recorded outside the school during the shooting, show security forces clashing with some parents who were at the scene.

The families have denounced, according to several US media, that the officers took an hour to shoot down the gunman once he was entrenched inside, for which many confronted the troops, discussing whether to enter the primary school themselves.

The American Joaquín Castro, a member of the House of Representatives, has asked the FBI this Thursday in a statement to "use its maximum authority to investigate and provide a complete report on the schedule, the response of the forces of public order and how they were killed. ".

"Initially, it entered without obstacles," said the regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Víctor Escalón. "So from Grandma's house, to the (ditch) to the school, nobody confronted him," he added.

The press conference has highlighted the confusion and disorganization of the police response and did not answer questions about how the attacker was able to remain inside the classroom for so long, according to the CNN network.

In the face of criticism, the White House spokeswoman has indicated that "the authorities are working to have more details of what happened in Uvalde", for which, she said, they will not "prejudge the results from here at this time" .

"It's always a good idea to look back and try to find lessons we can learn, especially from tragedies like this, so we can prevent them from moving forward, including the law enforcement response," he said.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Salvador Ramos, after shooting his grandmother - who is in serious condition - broke into the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where he executed 19 children and two teachers after barricading himself with them in one of the classrooms. Another 17 people were injured, although most were released.