Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Association, has finally spoken out after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, in Florida.
He launched into a tirade against the political elite who he says ‘hate individual freedom.’
LaPierre had been adressing the conservative conference CPAC when he lashed out at anti-gun campaigners who’ve been making leaps and bounds in the public eye since the massacre.
He said, as reported by The Guardian:
They fantasise about more laws stopping what other laws have failed to stop. So many existing laws were ignored.
They don’t care if their laws work or not. They just want to get more laws to get more control over people, but the NRA, the NRA does care.
He also criticised the ‘breathless national media’ which he said was ‘eager to smear the NRA in the midst of genuine grief.’
The media ‘love mass shootings’ he said, adding ‘crying white mothers are ratings gold.’
One survivor from the Florida high school shooting called out President Donald Trump and the NRA – as well as anyone opposed to stronger firearm regulation – for ‘BS’ at a gun control protest recently in Fort Lauderdale.
‘To every politician who is taking donations from the NRA — shame on you,’ student Emma Gonzalez said.
As the crowd cheered: ‘Enough is enough’, Gonzalez wiped tears from her face as she made her impassioned speech.
In reference to tweets made by President Trump in response to the tragedy – where he sent hopes and prayers to the victims, questioned the mental health of suspect Nikolas Cruz and laid the blame with victims for not reporting suspicious behaviour to authorities – Gonzalez said:
We did. Time and time again — since he was in middle school. It was no surprise to anyone who knew him to hear that he was a shooter.
Emma continued:
Every single person up here today, all these people should be home grieving.
But instead we are up here standing together because if all our government and President can do is send thoughts and prayers, then it’s time for victims to be the change that we need to see.
She added:
Those talking about how we should have not ostracized him, you didn’t know this kid. OK. We did.
We know that they’re claiming mental health issues and I’m not a psychologist, but we need to pay attention to the fact this was not just a mental health issue.
He would not have harmed that many students with a knife.
Our thoughts continue to go out to those affected by this tragedy.
