Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz Shoots back
Gov. Walz took the immediate opportunity to voice his concerns over Vance’s comments on the shooting.
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At an LGBTQ+ advocacy group on Saturday evening, Walz said that such events are not “a fact of life.”
Vice President Kamala Harris Backs up Walz
Vice President Kamala Harris also condemned Vance’s comments, responding to a reporter’s question by saying: “I don’t like that this is a fact of life.”
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Both Democratic nominees have spoken out against the frequent gun violence in American schools and have called for stricter gun regulations to curb the issue.
The Incident
On September 4, a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, claimed the lives of four people – two students and two teachers, as well as nine others wounded and hospitalized.
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The suspect is a 14-year-old student at the school who the FBI previously investigated for comments that he made online about committing a school shooting. His parents are being charged with supplying the teen with an AR-15-style rifle that was used in the incident.
Sen. Vance's Comments
JD Vance shared his thoughts on the issue at a campaign event in Phoenix just a few days after the shooting. He spoke behind several thick panels of bullet proof glass to protect himself.
“I don’t like this. I don’t like to admit this. I don’t like that this is a fact of life. But if you’re, if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets, and we have got to bolster security at our schools,” he said of the issue.
Walz Speaks on the Issue
Gov. Walz, a lifelong hunter and gun advocate, spoke at an LGBTQ+ advocacy group on Saturday evening, where he addressed JD Vance’s comments during an annual dinner in Washington.
“It’s a fact of life some people are gay. But you know what’s not a fact of life? That our children need to be shot dead in schools,” Walz said. “That’s not a fact of life,” he added. “Folks are banning books, but they’re okay with weapons of war being in our schools.”
Policy Ideas From the Dems
In addition to decrying Vance’s “fact of life” comments, the Democratic camp has issued some real policy changes on gun reform in the U.S.
A Harris spokesperson, Ammar Moussa, said in response to Vance’s commnets on Thursday that, “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know we can take action to keep our children safe and keep guns out of the hands of criminals.” She added, “Donald Trump and JD Vance will always choose the NRA and gun lobby over our children. That is the choice in this election.”
Trump Camp Hits Back
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said, “President Trump and Senator Vance believe our nation’s most vulnerable, our children, need to be protected with armed guards and law enforcement officers, unlike Kamala Harris, who believes in removing police officers from schools.”
Unfortunately, armed guards and police officers on the scenes of active shooters have not always created more safety for students during active shooters.
Armed Police Did Not Stop the Uvalde Shooting
On May 24, 2022, the deadliest school shooting to ever occur in Texas happened at Robb Elementary School. An 18-year-old former student fatally shot 19 students and two teachers; 17 others were injured.
During the incident, the shooter, Salvador Ramos, walked past officers lining the hallways, who waited more than 1 hour and 14 minutes to breach the classroom where he was killing students. School security footage showed several armed police officers standing around, talking, and even laughing while live gunshots and children screaming can be heard.
Walz Criticizes Vance's Voting History
Walz argued that Republicans have no platform to criticize him on his family values.
He quickly noted that Vance missed the Senate’s vote on the Child Tax Credit. Also, he blasted Trump for his rambling answer this week when asked how he was going to cover the cost of childcare in the country. “He’s got a plan on childcare costs that no one in the world understood a damn word about,” Walz said.
Walz Shares Thoughts as a Former Teacher
Gov. Walz taught social studies in high school and coached football in Mankato, Minnesota, before making a move into government,
He recounted his days while surrounded by dozens of highschoolers who he helped during his tenure.
Other Politicians Shared Walz Comments
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga) said on Sunday, “JD Vance claims that this kind of random, routine carnage is a fact of life. No, it’s not. It’s a fact of American life. This, again, is a tragic form of American exceptionalism,” on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”
Warnock suggested that Americans do some “serious soul-searching” to understand the true cause behind the huge number of school shootings that the U.S. experiences compared to other nations. “Nowhere else in the world do you have a country that’s not at war do you see this kind of violence,” he said.