Vice President Kamala Harris visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Saturday, March 23, and while there, she spoke in favor of creating a national “red flag” laws office. A father of one of the students killed in the Parkland shooting fired back at VP Harris after the event, calling it a “slap in the face.”
As background, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was the scene of the 2018 shooting in which Nicholas Cruz killed 17 and wounded 17, one of America’s bloodiest school shootings. Red flag laws, as promoted by VP Harris, are laws that allow the government to take firearms from those deemed dangerous, even if the individual has not done something that precludes buying or owning a firearm.
During her speech, VP Harris blamed “gun violence” for deaths, not the criminals who use guns toward evil ends. She said, “You know, part of what I talked with the families about is the fact that one in five families in America has a family member that has died because of gun violence, that the leading cause of death for the children of America is gun violence. Some of us talked about the parents of — of children who were lost. It — it wasn’t a car accident. It wasn’t some form of cancer. It was gun violence.”
Then, pushing red flag laws, she said, “Red flag laws. Red flag laws are simply designed to allow communities a vehicle through which they can share and have somewhere to share it information about the concern about the potential danger or the crying out for help of an individual, and then let’s get it to them before tragedy occurs. You know, there are only about 21 states that have passed red flag laws. So, part of why I’m here today is to challenge every state: Pass a red flag law. See how these leaders and these parents, through their advocacy born out of tragedy, have changed some of the laws in this state, including on that issue, to the betterment of everyone.”
Continuing, she said, “Of the states that have passed red flag laws — approximately 21 — only 6 have taken up the offer that we have made through our administration of federal resources to help them with the training and the implementation of these red flag laws. Of the 21 that have passed red flag laws, I challenge the others: Come on over.”
She then said, “We got some resources for you to help you implement the work that you have done that has been the work of a leader on this tragic issue. The second reason I am here is to announce that today I am launching the National Resource Center for Red Flag Laws. And this national resource center will be a place where we will, through that, provide for training for local leaders on how to use red flag laws and keep communities safe.”
Watch Kamala here:
Ryan Petty, a father of one of the Parkland victims, torched VP Harris’ visit and speech in a statement to Fox News Digital. Speaking about her appearance and what she said during it, Mr. Petty argued that what she did was a “slap in the face,” particularly to those parents who have tried to find solutions to mass shootings that do not involve an “infringement on Second Amendment rights.”
Mr. Petty said, “The vice president and the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention made it very clear to families early on that nothing short of new gun control was going to satisfy them in protecting our nation’s schools.” He continued, “And that is just a slap in the face to those of us that have worked for six years now to try to protect our nation’s schools.”
He added, “There are so many ways that we can protect our kids and our teachers at school that don’t require the infringement on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners around the country. But the vice president and the Office of Gun Violence Prevention don’t want to hear any of those solutions. What they want to do is create an opportunity for the vice president to spout gun control talking points at a site that, quite frankly, is hallowed ground at this point.” He concluded, “I find the whole thing offensive.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
"*" indicates required fields