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19 Children, 2 Teachers Killed in Texas Elementary School Shooting; Texas Gunman Legally Purchased Two Rifles, 375 Rounds of Ammo; Georgia GOP Voters Reject Trump's Biden to Oust Political Foes. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired May 25, 2022 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, one of many emotional reactions overnight to the horrible murder in Uvalde, Texas, from the Golden State Warriors head coach, Steve Kerr. We should note, he lost his own father to gun violence. He was assassinated.

In a press conference before game four of the Western Conference Finals, he said he couldn't talk about basketball at all when children are dying in their classrooms.

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STEVE KERR, COACH, GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS: The last ten days, we've had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo. We've had Asian church goers killed in Southern California. And now we have children murdered at school.

When are we going to do something? I'm tired. I'm so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there, and I'm so tired of the -- excuse me, I'm sorry, I'm tired of the moments of silence. Enough. We are being held hostage by 50 senators in Washington who refuse to even put it to a vote, despite what we the American people want.

[10:35:05]

They won't vote on it because they want to hold on to their own power. It's pathetic. I've had enough.

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ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: So many heartfelt emotional reactions in the wake of this most recent massacre. Actor Matthew McConaughey was born in Uvalde and he is grieving with his hometown, also calling for change, posting on social media, as Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it's time we reevaluate and renegotiate our wants from our needs. This is an epidemic we can control. And whichever side of the aisle we stand on, we all know we can do better.

Joining us now is the founder of Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts. Shannon, it's good to have you with us. And, unfortunately, I hate that we have to keep having these conversations. What really stood out to me is that one of the things that you noted in the wake of this is it's insulting to say nothing has happened since Sandy Hook, saying we need to acknowledge the progress we've made while also saying much more needs to be done. There are a lot of people and we've heard this morning who are having a hard time seeing where there has been real progress made. Where is your focus this morning?

SHANNON WATTS, FOUNDER, MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA: Well, my focus is with the people who have been devastated in communities all across the country. Obviously, in Uvalde, but also in Buffalo, and in Laguna and all across the country, not just mass shootings but the everyday gun violence that kills over 110 Americans and wounds hundreds more every single day.

These are not acts of nature, like tornadoes or hurricanes. These are manmade acts of inaction, of cowardice, of corruption by lawmakers who refuse to follow the data that shows us stronger gun laws save lives. And we cannot accept it.

And I understand that people feel cynical, they may feel hopeless, but that is not an excuse to not act. The onus is on every single American watching us to get off the sidelines, if they are, and to use their voices and their votes on this issue. We have to do it now.

HILL: You bring up an interesting point, I think in conversations that I've had and also even just seeing the reaction in the last however many hours on social media, people feeling helpless, feeling that they can't do anything. You are very clear there are things that can be done. Have you noticed a shift since you first began this work? Have you noticed a shift in the conversations or even in the reaction that you get when trying to have those conversations?

WATTS: Look, I can only judge it by the fact that we have so many volunteers coming into the organization every single day, many of them because they've sent their kindergarten to school and they've had essentially rehearse their deaths in the bathroom of the classroom as though that door is going to protect them from the spray of an AR-15.

Certainly, we have many people joining our organization today. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action are larger than the NRA now. And so this is a marathon. It's not a sprint. We have accomplished so much in the last decade. You know, to people who say nothing has happened since Sandy Hook, nothing could be further from the truth. This movement happened.

And we are making huge progress in state houses and school boards and city councils. We need a handful of senators to change their votes on the issue. That's what it will take. And I know we want a cathartic moment in the Senate. We have to demand it. But that is not a reason to not act, because we feel like, hey, maybe it won't happen this time. When the clock stops running is up to us.

And let's be clear. Lawmakers want the clock to run out. They want to obfuscate. They want to point to other issues and straw men. It's the reason for the shooting. It's up to us when the clock runs out. It's going right now. And it is going to go all the way through November. So, we need everyone to prepare for this marathon of activism and to get involved right now, because what is the other choice? To allow children to be slaughtered in the sanctity of an American elementary school? I don't know a single parent who's ever going to accept that in this country.

HILL: You're hopeful. You're not giving up, right? Your dedication, this is now your life's work. Is there anything that you've seen or heard in the last less than 24 hours that makes you think there will be some real action, perhaps in the coming days or weeks on these background check bills, for example?

WATTS: I am always hopeful after a shooting tragedy in this country that these few senators will act, that this will change their hearts and minds or if nothing else, make them afraid they will lose their jobs, and it is on us to do that.

[10:40:03]

The lawmakers are supposed to act with integrity. They're supposed to look at the data. They're supposed to protect their constituents. When they don't do that, we have to either force them to or we have to force them out of office. And we've been doing that, as I said, for a decade.

I mean, if you look at 2018, this issue, the issue of gun safety helped flip the House of Representatives. We elected Lucy McBath, a former Moms Demand Action volunteer who is now a congresswoman in Georgia. And the first thing she did was to help pass good gun safety legislation.

Again, the Senate hasn't acted. I am very hopeful that we will come to an agreement on something, whether it's background checks or red flag laws, closing the Charleston loophole. There're so many different things that we could look at that the data shows us save lives. When you look at the states, right, they're sort of a Petri dish for this. Stronger gun laws save lives. Weaker gun laws cause gun crime and gun violence. The data is in. We need our lawmakers to act.

HILL: I have to say, you mentioned 2018. What I'll always remember in the wake of the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are the high school students old enough to speak out and say, we want action, we don't want to just hear words, we don't just want your thoughts and prayers, that they were so vocal, and that was almost surprising to some people. It would be interesting to see how this continues to play out. As you point out, not that long, we were talking about Buffalo.

Shannon Watts, I appreciate your time and efforts. Thanks for being with us today.

WATTS: Thank you.

HILL: Shannon and her focus is on the victims and their families right now. And it's so important not to lose sight of those lives forever shattered. We are learning more about the victims as their families choose to release that information and we are learning about little boys like Uziyah Garcia, now identified as one of the children who was killed at Robb Elementary.

His family confirming to CNN Uziyah was just ten years old in fourth grade. His uncle described him as a great kid, full of life. He loved anything with wheels and video games. His grandfather said he was the sweetest little boy I've ever known and told one of our affiliates about throwing the football around with him. Uziyah Garcia is survived by his two sisters.

Please stay with us.

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SCIUTTO: Just in to CNN, and this will seem familiar too, CNN has just learned that the gunman in the Texas elementary school shooting and murder legally purchased two AR platform rifles, like the AR-15, you may have heard of, two separate dates at a local federal firearms licensee, and, Erica, just a few days before all this.

HILL: And we want to go straight to CNN's Senior Legal Affairs Correspondent Paula Reid who has some of this new reporting for us. So, what more do we know about these guns, how they were purchased?

PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT: Erica, a short time ago, I spoke with State Senator John Whitmire. Now, he received a private briefing from law enforcement late last night, which where we're getting some of these details.

But I will that was interesting in my conversation with him is that it's clear that some of the details coming from federal law enforcement conflict with what they're hearing on the ground, not necessarily uncommon in an investigation like this. But here's some more of what he told me. He said that one of the rifles the gunman purchased was actually left in the truck that he crashed at the school. The other one was located inside the school with the suspect.

Now, as you just noted, he purchased the guns on May 17th and May 20th, but, interestingly, on May 18th, the suspect also purchased 375 rounds of ammunition.

Now, some other notable details, he said, according to the ATF paperwork, it shows the suspect's home address, as does his driver's license, and he said the address is also where his grandmother lived and was shot, but at this point, authorities cannot confirm he lived with her but the addresses do match.

Now, it appears that the suspect dropped a backpack with several magazines full of ammunition near the entrance of the school, inside the school, authorities found what appears to be seven 30-round magazines. Authorities say they will not know though what ammunition was used until the crime scene is fully processed. Now, interestingly, after further inspection of the deceased suspect's clothing, authorities say it now appears the suspect was not wearing body armor but a plate carrier with no ballistic armor inside.

Now, he also says that he was told that the local police department was not in pursuit of the gunman before he crashed. The first time that they received any information was from a caller reporting the crash and a man with the gun exiting the vehicle.

Now, the state senator is not sure if he's going to get any additional updates today. Some of this matches what we've already heard but also some new details. And, of course, a lot of questions today about how exactly the gunman got these weapons and we're going to get a little more details here.

SCIUTTO: For sure. And that question about what exactly was the engagement prior to the gunman's reentry into the school. It's early. We know you're working it. Paula Reid, thanks so much.

Well, as our country, as all of us deal with witnessing yet another deadly school shooting, we are getting reaction from Georgia, where one of the Democrats who advanced out of yesterday's primaries is speaking out. Georgia Congresswoman Lucy McBath, you may remember, her son was shot and killed in 2012. That inspired her to then run for congress.

In response to this latest shooting, she tweeted, quote, this is why, after Jordan's murder, Jordan, her son, I made a promise to my son, to my family, our entire community, that I would spend the rest of my life fighting to prevent more parents from the heartbreak of losing a loved one. It is personal to her as it is to more and more Americans.

Stay with us.

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[10:50:00]

HILL: Turning now to politics. Georgia voters rejecting two candidates backed by former President Trump and his attempt to oust Republicans who had refused to go along with the election fraud lies. Republican Governor Brian Kemp easily toppling former Senator David Perdue in the GOP primary in that state, setting up a Kemp rematch with Stacey Abrams come November, while Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also defeated his Trump-backed primary challenger, Congressman Jody Hice.

SCIUTTO: That's key. These were two Georgia politicians the president tried to pressure to help overturn the election.

Also there, former football star Herschel Walker will square against Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock. And incumbent Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, she bested five primary opponents for her House seat.

CNN's Chief National Affairs Correspondent Jeff Zeleny joins us live now from Atlanta. Jeff, what are Republicans saying not just about Kemp's easy win but Raffensperger? I mean, these were two big targets for the former president, and they won handily.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Even more than handily, Jim. It was just a trouncing in the governor's race, really nearly a landslide, 74 percent of the vote. That's what Governor Brian Kemp is winning of the Republican side. More than 50 points more than former Senator David Perdue who, of course, is a very known figure in Georgia, a former United States senator.

But what it was, clearly, Republican voters are looking forward. They are not looking backward at the 2020 election and that was the entire root of the grievance that former President Donald Trump has had for more than a year, about a year and a half here or so, all because Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certified the election results that show that Joe Biden won the state of Georgia. So, that fueled all of this.

Republican voters not necessarily rejecting the policies or the orthodoxy of the Trump administration or the Republican view, that is clearly a central part of the Republican platform now, but they are rejecting the flat out lies about the election, clearly making the case that they want to look forward and they want to win in November.

So, what this race is doing now, Governor Brian Kemp is setting up a rematch with the Stacey Abrams. Of course, she ran unopposed on the Democratic side. So, this is going to go with one of the most closely watched governor's races in the country over the summer months, the fall months into November.

But perhaps most important of all, the secretary of state race, Brad Raffensperger getting more than 50 percent, that means he avoids a runoff, handily defeating Jody Hice, a member of Congress, backed entirely by the former president, all rooted again in that big election lie.

[10:55:05]

Brad Raffensperger is winning.

So, that is essentially a wrap from Georgia Republicans looking forward. We'll see in the months to come how many endorsements the former president is still handing out. My guess is not as many. Jim and Erica?

HILL: Jeff Zeleny, I appreciate it as always, my friend. Thank you.

Thanks to all of you for joining us today. I'm Erica Hill.

SCIUTTO: Lord, we are thinking of the poor children in Uvalde and their parents. I'm Jim Sciutto.

Our continuing coverage of the mass murder at the Texas elementary continues. At This Hour with Kate Bolduan starts right after a short break.

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