Tuesday's fatal shooting of 19 pupils and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, by an 18-year-old gunman equipped with an AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle, again focused attention on the NRA, the nation's biggest gun lobby and a major donor to Congress members, mostly Republicans. Uvalde is about 280 miles (450 km) west of Houston.

"We are delivering a strong message to the NRA, a strong message. Our students are dying. We just lost 19 beautiful children, and two teachers who dedicated their lives to teaching them, said Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association.

"My question to them and our policy makers is when are you going to put our children before your profits. When is that gonna happen?"