On Thursday, JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, expressed deep frustration over the ongoing issue of school shootings in the United States, referring to them as a “fact of life” and advocating for increased security measures at schools. His comments came in the wake of a tragic shooting earlier in the week in Winder, Georgia, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals.
During a campaign event in Phoenix, Vance responded to a CNN inquiry about his stance on policies to address school shootings. He acknowledged the harsh reality of the situation, stating, “I don’t like this. I don’t like to admit this. I don’t like that this is a fact of life.”
Vance argued that schools have become soft targets for individuals seeking notoriety and emphasized the need to enhance security measures to protect students. “We’ve got to bolster security so that if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of children, they’re not able to,” he asserted. Despite his concern, Vance admitted that, as a parent, he would prefer not to have heightened security at schools, but recognized it as a necessary precaution in today’s environment.
In his remarks, Vance also critiqued the effectiveness of strict gun laws in preventing school shootings. He pointed out that states with stringent gun regulations do not necessarily see fewer incidents of school shootings compared to states with looser laws. “
The Kamala Harris answer to this is to take law-abiding American citizens’ guns away from them,” Vance criticized, suggesting that such measures are not the solution. He argued that both types of states—those with strict gun laws and those without—experience school shootings, indicating that the presence or absence of strict gun laws does not correlate strongly with the incidence of these tragedies.
Vance also urged his audience to offer prayers for the victims and their families affected by the Winder shooting, stating, “No parent should have to deal with this. No child should have to deal with this.” He stressed the importance of sympathy and support for the affected communities while also calling for practical steps to reduce the frequency of such incidents.
In response, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, criticized Vance’s comments, rejecting the notion that school shootings are an inevitable part of life. On X (formerly Twitter), Harris stated, “School shootings are not just a fact of life. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can take action to protect our children—and we will.” Harris’s response underscores the ongoing debate over how to address the issue effectively.
Vance defended his position on social media, accusing Harris of misrepresenting his stance and shifting the focus away from what he perceives as the real issues. He contended that Harris’s approach fails to address the core problem and labeled her criticism as a desperate attempt to distract from her perceived failures.
The Democratic National Committee also criticized Vance’s remarks, emphasizing that such tragedies should not be normalized or accepted as unavoidable. “Tragedies like this do not need to be a ‘fact of life,’ and we don’t just have to ‘get over it’ when Americans, including young children, are violently murdered,” the committee stated.
In related news from Georgia, 14-year-old Colt Gray has been charged with four counts of felony murder in connection with the shooting on Wednesday morning at his school. His father, Colin Gray, faces multiple charges including involuntary manslaughter and cruelty to children, following reports that he purchased the firearm used in the incident as a holiday gift for his son.
