We talk a lot about “school shootings,” but the fact is, America’s gun problem extends far beyond schools. It’s at churches, and movie theaters, and now, at a Waffle House. The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL are not at all happy that supposed-President of the United States Donald Trump has remained silent in the face of this latest shooting.
Yesterday, a white man with an AR-15 rifle (the same type of rifle used in the Parkland shooting) opened fire in a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, killing four people and injuring at least two more. He may have hurt more people if, when he stopped to reload, straight-up hero James Shaw Jr. hadn’t wrestled the gun away from him. The suspect’s name is Travis Reinking, and he was just taken into custody today.
One would think that a sitting president would, in the face of a tragedy like this, make some kind of comment about it, even if it’s only of the “thoughts and prayers” variety. Instead, he’s tweeted about Mexico (he apparently still thinks “the Wall” is a thing), North Korea, the James Comey memos, Mike Pompeo, and “sanctuary cities.” No mention of the loss of life of four people in Tennessee at the hands of a gunman.
Perhaps it’s because the victims were all people of color: 3 African-American, one Latino? Perhaps it’s because the shooting suspect was a white male? Perhaps, no matter the race of the shooter or victims, this particular U.S. president is just that beholden to the NRA?
Whatever his reasons, the survivors of the Parkland shooting will not accept his silence on the subject, some reaching out to him directly while pointing out very important, if obvious information:
Sir, four people were shot and killed in a Waffle House.
Care to comment? https://t.co/e0w8MXEfdM
— Alex Wind (@al3xw1nd) April 22, 2018
Care to comment @realDonaldTrump ? https://t.co/7LY2f4K2Cl
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 23, 2018
“Nevertheless, Duwe said his own research dating back to 1900 corroborates that white men have committed more mass shootings than any other group, though he believes white men make up an even larger share than the Mother Jones data show.” https://t.co/nJlO01tTSd
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 23, 2018
Student and activist Cameron Kasky reminded us that gun violence isn’t limited to schools:
This is why this conversation isn’t just about school safety. This is why adding security measures to our schools is only a baby step in curing the epidemic of gun violence in our country. https://t.co/stLD2SLGFh
— Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) April 22, 2018
Others, like one of our faves, Emma González, didn’t direct their comments at Trump, but said things that need to get back to him:
(1/4) He was white and he used an AR-15. The @NRA is about to say this man had mental health issues, so that the rest of us will get scared of anyone with poor mental health and buy a gun in preemptive defense so that gun sales increase. Shootings don’t just happen in schools, https://t.co/FIzyTCvuA1
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) April 22, 2018
(2/4) they happen everywhere in America, and now one has happened in Waffle House. You can donate all the shooting shelters to schools that you want, but at the end of the day, we can’t build our world out of Kevlar – someone is making Mad Money off that.
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) April 22, 2018
(3/4) The local police say a man at the scene wrestled his gun away – looks like you don’t need to arm a teacher (or a resource officer) to stop a shooting. There goes the sales pitch for @SmithWessonCorp 🤷♀️
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) April 22, 2018
(4/4) Removing the assault and semi-automatic weapons from our Civilian society, instituting thorough background checks and mandatory waiting periods (and raising the buying age and banning the production of high-capacity magazines) are the ways to stop shootings in America.
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) April 22, 2018
According to The Daily Dot, Trump sent his press secretary out to do the work for him. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders then said, “The president offers his condolences to the victims and their families. He is monitoring the ongoing situation and the White House is in regular contact with state and local officials.”
I wonder how he’s monitoring the situation while also doing all that tweeting about a wall?
(image: pixabay.com/Pexels.com)
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