One of Donald Trump’s first acts as president was to reverse President Barack Obama’s executive action to block some individuals with mental impairments from buying guns. Obama signed it shortly after a gunman ripped through the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, killing first-graders and others. After the weekend mass shooting in West Texas killed seven and wounded 22, the Odessa city mayor Dave Turner had an unusual solution.
This was the second Texas shooting in August. Trump said that he was committed to halting “the menace of mass attacks,” according to NPR:
‘This includes strong measures to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous and deranged individuals and substantial reforms to the nation’s broken mental health system.’
Saturday’s shooting victims’ ages range from 15-years-old to 57-years old. A 17-month old was shot in the face and chest, and that damage means she is facing immediate surgery. The Odessa Mayor David Turner had a strange view of the carnage.
The mayor noted that the victim recovery effort would need more support well beyond healing the physical gunshot wounds and blamed “violent video games,” according to MSNBC:
‘Yeah. I think it’s a problem of the heart, to be honest with you. We have so many violent video games.’
Mayor Turner said that the people who had gone through such bloody violence needed support, NPR reported:
‘Physical injuries are there, but there are also emotional injuries. And so, we’ll have to watch them close.
‘In West Texas, we’re known for being strong and independent. It’s time for us to come together and love on those who need our love that have lost friends and family.’
Texas Governor Greg Abbott had a media briefing about the massacre. He said that new gun laws would keep weapons out of the hands of criminals and still protect people’s Second Amendment rights. He said:
‘I have been to too many of these events. I’m tired of the dying of the people in the state of Texas. Too many Texans are mourning. Action is needed. And we must do it fast.’
Yet, the governor did not offer any specific laws or policy proposals. When reporters asked if AR-style weapons such as the gunman used should be banned, Abbott said that not all mass shootings had used this type of weapon:
‘We need solutions to keep guns out of the hands of criminals while protecting Second Amendment rights.’
Eight new gun laws took effect in Texas in the middle of this tragedy. They ease restrictions on guns. Now, Texans can carry their guns into places of worship, in rented or leased properties, and during disasters. NRA praised Texas’ new laws.
Two shootings occurred back-to-back earlier in the month. Together, the El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio mass murders left 31 dead in their wake.
The president said he would try to “protect our Second Amendment.” For all his intentions, once the National Rifle Association (NRA) president called, Trump did a reversal. After all, the NRA contributed $30 million to his 2016 presidential campaign.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
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