Against the backdrop of recent mass shootings in Tennessee and Kentucky, a stampede of 2024 Republican presidential hopefuls and possible candidates rushed to pledge their loyalty to the NRA before several thousand gun-rights activists in a spacious hall at the convention center here. And they scoffed at the notion that gun and ammunition restrictions would reduce violence---------- Since 2015, over 19,000 people have been shot and wounded or killed in a mass shooting. In 2022 alone, over 600 people were killed, with over 2,700 wounded.(Everytown Research)
Former President Donald Trump vowed to defend and expand gun-owners rights in a speech to the National Rifle Association's annual meeting here Friday.---------- Both the number of mass shooting incidents and the number of people shot in them have increased since 2015, reaching a high of 686 mass shooting incidents in 2021. (Everytown Research)
"It is a scandal and a tragedy that year after year, Democrats in Washington continue to hold commonsense school safety measures hostage to their radical gun control agenda, which, in virtually all cases, would do nothing to prevent attacks by demented and disturbed individuals," Trump said.---------- The United States is not the only country with mental illness, domestic violence, video games, or hate-fueled ideologies, but our gun homicide rate is 26 times higher than our peer countries. (Everytown)
In his prerecorded remarks, DeSantis said the Second Amendment is "the last backstop of freedom, the foundation on which all of our other rights rest." His appearance was greeted with applause in the convention hall.---------- Lawmakers must act to require background checks on all gun sales, support Extreme Risk laws that provide a process to temporarily remove guns from people showing warning signs, keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, and restrict assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. (Everytown)
He also said that he would establish a tax credit to subsidize gun purchases and training for teachers, and that he would direct the Food and Drug Administration to study the effects of transgender hormone therapy on "extreme depression, aggression and even violence."---------- A mass shooting is an incident of targeted violence carried out by one or more shooters at one or more public or populated locations. Multiple victims (both injuries and fatalities) are associated with the attack, and both the victims and location(s) are chosen either at random or for their symbolic value. The event occurs within a single 24-hour period, though most attacks typically last only a few minutes. The motivation of the shooting must not correlate with gang violence or targeted militant or terroristic activity. (Rockefeller Institute)
Pro-Life, once outside of the womb!
