On Thursday afternoon, 19-year-old Nikolaus Cruz entered a Florida high school and killed more than a dozen people and injured scores of others. And while the bodies of the victims were still warm and many parents of victims were still awaiting news about their children, Democrats, predictably, began calling for limits on gun ownership and blaming Republicans for the violence that ensued at the school.
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) was first out of the box, slamming Republicans for not passing legislation to prevent individuals on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. He called for a “debate” on gun control.
Sen. Bill Nelson tells @gstephanopoulos that "we'll have another round of all of this debate" over background checks and other gun restrictions once investigation is under way. https://t.co/4QuB0GYG2P pic.twitter.com/MTQnooZg8I
— ABC News (@ABC) February 14, 2018
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) jumped on the bandwagon next. “Turn on your television right now, you’re going to see scenes of children running for their lives. What looks to be the 19th school shooting in this country and we have not even hit March,” Murphy said. “This epidemic of mass slaughter, this scourge of school shooting after school shooting. It only happens here not because of coincidence, not because of bad luck, but as a consequence of our inaction.”
Sen. Chris Murphy speaks about Florida school shooting on the Senate floor: "We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else." pic.twitter.com/KxTl8N07jW
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) February 14, 2018
ABC reporter Cecilia Vega tried to make a bizarre connection between the shooting and the Rob Porter sex scandal that’s roiling the White Hosue. Vega said, “We are expecting a briefing in the hour from Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. And of course, as you know, George, this very tragic incident comes as this White House is in turmoil right now over this with this Rob Porter scandal.” She added, “So they’ve got a lot on their plate here today.”
Others also joined in with their gun control claptrap.
Another day in America.
Another School Shooting.
Another Senseless Tragedy.
Another reminder we need
common sense gun control.Another reminder we need
better mental health care.Another reminder it won’t
happen unless we vote out
the NRA-backed GOP.#GunControlNow— Ryan Knight 🌹🗽 (@ProudResister) February 14, 2018
Children are being murdered at schools.
Republicans refuse to entertain any form of gun control.
Republicans are working to make it EASIER to get automatic weapons.
This is because Republican politicians take millions from the NRA and would lose elections without their money.
— Treason Stickers (@treasonstickers) February 14, 2018
If Trump wasn't busy dealing with the Porn Star he had an affair with, he'd have time to ignore another school shooting in Parkland Florida today.
— Tim Hanlon (@TimfromDa70s) February 14, 2018
https://twitter.com/AnonsHomeland/status/963896335849189377
The problem of school shootings is complicated and there are conversations to be had about the societal causes of them and how they might be prevented in the future. But today is not the day for that conversation. Today is a day to mourn the victims and pray for the affected families. The politics can wait.
Follow me on Twitter: @pbolyard
Join the conversation as a VIP Member