President Donald Trump has called for those who commit hate crime mass murders to face the death penalty.
Speaking at the White House today, August 5, Trump said he has spoken with Attorney General William Barr to urge the US Justice Department to introduce the death penalty for mass murders, such as the ones recently committed in El Paso and Dayton.
Trump said: ‘Today I’m also directing the Department of Justice to propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty, and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively and without years of needless delay.’
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During the speech, the president also called on Americans to condemn racism and white supremacy as ‘one voice’, saying ‘mental illness and hatred pull the trigger, not the gun’.
Trump described the gunmen responsible for the El Paso and Dayton shootings as ‘mentally ill monsters’, and called for ‘bipartisan solutions’ to the crisis. He also called out violent videogames ‘that are now commonplace’ and must be ‘substantially reduced’, the Independent reports.
President Trump said he wanted new legislation to provide ‘strong background checks’ for gun users. In a tweet, he added: ‘perhaps marrying this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform’, though did not say how or why he was linking the two. Both shooting suspects from the incidents in El Paso and Dayton were reportedly US citizens, while federal officials are said to be investigating anti-immigration bias as a possible motive for the shooting in El Paso, where 20 people were killed.
Later in his speech, Trump said:
The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate. In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul.
We have asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism.
We must recognise that the internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalised, disturbed minds and perform demented acts. We must shine on the dark recesses of the internet and stop mass murders before they start.
Trump went on to say the ‘perils of the internet and social media cannot be ignored’, saying the internet is also used for human trafficking and illegal drug distribution.
The president again called for ‘bipartisan solutions’ and greater efforts on ‘identifying and acting on early warning signs’.
Trump went on to say authorities are working with social media companies to develop ‘tools that can detect mass shooters before they strike,’ while adding ‘we must stop the glorification of violence in our society,’ referring to ‘gruesome’ video games which are ‘now commonplace’.
Trump said: ‘It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture which celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately.’
Later in his speech, Trump said US authorities must work to ‘better identify mentally-disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence.’ Adding: ‘Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun.’
The president added he has called for ‘red flag laws’, or ‘extreme risk protection orders’, which aim to restrict access to firearms for those judged to be ‘at risk’, and – if those people do have access – then their firearms can be taken away ‘through rapid due process’. However, no mention was made of reforming gun laws altogether.
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Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.