California billboards warn against moving to Texas by invoking mass shooting

A controversial billboard campaign in San Francisco and Los Angeles is discouraging Californians from moving to Texas.

The controversial billboards seem to be using the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde to warn Californians against moving to Texas.

“The Texas miracle died in Uvalde. Don’t move to Texas,” the billboard reads.

The billboard has an image of a young man wearing a hood and sunglasses with children’s faces in the mirrored reflection. The words “Don’t Mess with Texas” are crossed out with a red x.

The ad appears to be referencing the massacre on May 24 when nineteen students and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old with a semi-automatic rifle who gained access to Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School.

The message behind the billboard is adding to the already existing rivalry between the two states. The billboard targets gun violence in Texas, but it's not clear who is behind the ad campaign.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and California Governor Gavin Newsom are polar opposites on the political spectrum. According to census data, on average, more than 68,000 Californian's move to Texas each year.

Advocates for California point out that with their population of 39 million, that's less than 1%.