Terrified tourists are vowing to boycott Texas after new laws easing gun restrictions were put in place just hours after the state’s second mass shooting in a month.
The eight laws, which make it easier to carry guns in public in the Lone Star state — including schools and churches — went into effect Sunday, the morning after Seth Ator, 36, killed seven in a drive-by rampage in Odessa.
His massacre came four weeks after Patrick Crusius, 21, allegedly slaughtered 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso — meaning four of the 10 deadliest shootings in modern US history have now been in Texas, CNN noted.
A number of countries — including China, Japan, Venezuela and Uruguay — already have travel warnings over mass shootings in the US, and now #BoycottTX has started trending on social media, according to Australian news site news.com.au.
“It’s time to boycott Texas,” wrote @pupsadoodle on Twitter. “Their new tourist slogan should be In Texas we love guns more than we love people, if you come to visit Texas there is a real good chance you’ll be shot.”
“I will miss Texas. Loved to visit. The people are lovely,” wrote @Mydogisachonk, saying the state was “not safe.” “Y’all have too much love for tools of killing. Eased gun laws day after mass shooting. Sad.”
“As much as I love the beauty & scope of Texas, I’ll not visit again until sane gun laws are in place,” wrote @careerfed. “It’s just too dangerous.”
“My right to life is more important than their right to guns,” Frank Mitman wrote. “I will not vacation in or visit Texas. My right to choose.”
“I will avoid the entire state and any others like it,” wrote Criminally Speaking podcaster Michelle Lee. “It’s unfortunate for the people there who want to fix the problem, but it’s just too dangerous to visit.”
Randy Brown simply noted, “Texas permanently off my ‘must visit’ list.”