The movement for common sense gun control is continuing to move forward whether conservatives like it or not. One of those conservatives who most certainly is not fond of the movement, which has gained momentum following the shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school last month that left 17 people dead, is Rick Santorum, who has not just one but two failed presidential campaigns under his belt.
During a recent appearance on CNN, he opined that instead of protesting for gun safety regulations, survivors of the Parkland shooting and their allies should learn CPR. He failed to explain how learning that could help a victim of a school shooter who had used a weapon as powerful as the one used by the attacker in Parkland. CPR isn’t going to be of any assistance if you’ve been shot in a vital organ, like the heart.
Santorum had to answer for himself during a follow up appearance on CNN with Chris Cuomo.
After being asked about his comments, Santorum commented:
‘The fact of the matter is that I did misspeak in using the term CPR… it obscured the larger point… that what we’ve seen from all of these mass shootings is that the things that have come out – the positive things that have come out are organizations and people who have actually focused on what we can do in our individual schools and communities to actually prevent these types of things… What I see happen here is avoiding the issues that are really actually unifying.’
Santorum made it clear that he believes that the issues that should be addressed in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting include bullying in schools and the like. He failed to explain why it is that bullied kids aren’t committing mass shootings en masse if that’s really the problem here, as others on his side have implied in the past through such means as the “Walk Up Not Out” initiative.
Santorum went on to explain that he believes that there are “politics and hypocrisy” on both sides of the gun control debate, although it’s not as though it’s an interest on the left that has carried on with lies and slander against the Parkland survivors in the aftermath of the shooting.
At one point during Santorum’s appearance, Cuomo laid out the issue plainly and simply, saying:
‘Access about who gets weapons and how is the fundamental question in this situation; it just is. I’m not calling for a weapons ban — I’m not calling for anything! It’s up to you and your ilk to figure out the answers.’
Santorum responded to Cuomo, again insisting that “creating an environment in schools where there isn’t bullying [and] where there is a sensitivity to people who have problems” is the true solution in this situation, even though — again — it’s not as though bullied kids are committing mass shootings all over the place.
See the interview below:
In the face of continued momentum behind the movement for common sense gun law reform, the White House has failed to come up with any new pieces of legislation that might address the issue. A recent plan for school safety unveiled by the Trump administration included instead a proposal to boost government support for arming teachers.
It also included provisions for the establishment of a commission to study school safety led by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Featured Image via Screenshot from the Video
