QOTD: Texas Governor Greg Abbott

"I am heartbroken by the crying of the people in the state of Texas. I am tired of the dying of the people of Texas. Too many Texans are in mourning. Too many Texans have lost their lives. The status quo in Texas is unacceptable, and action is needed."

The shooting happened hours before a series of firearm laws go into effect in Texas, where four of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history have happened.

The new measures will loosen gun restrictions and allow weapons on school grounds, apartments and places of worship.

Dated the day before a white supremacist gunman opened fire at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart — known to be frequented by people in Mexican and Latino communities — killing 22 people, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent a fundraising letter imploring Republicans to “take matters into our own hands” and “DEFEND” the state from immigrants.

Marked Aug. 2, the mailer came stuffed in an envelope lashing out at Democratic lawmakers Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer for refusing to do anything about the “CRISIS on the SOUTHERN Border.”

“45,000 illegal immigrants CROSSED into Texas,” the front of the envelope states in big red text. “THAT’S WHY WE MUST DO THIS...”

The letter, which was first reported by the Texas Signal, then begins, “If we’re going to DEFEND Texas, we’ll need to take matters into our own hands,” and again states that “45,000 illegal immigrants” were caught crossing the “Mexican border into Texas.”

Comparing that number to entire populations of Texan cities, the governor lashed out at Washington, DC, lawmakers, saying they refuse to work with president Trump to secure the border.

He then called out “radical socialists like [Rep.] Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” insinuating that the “Democrat machine” wants to “turn Texas blue.”

“If they can do it in California, they can do it in Texas — if we let them,” he wrote, asking for donations to help thwart the looming “disaster” and “DEFEND TEXAS NOW.”