Donald Trump Jr.—an avid gun rights advocate—was harshly criticized after he claimed guns are not to blame for the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
In fact, Trump Jr. said the shooter who killed 19 children and two teachers in the worst school shooting since the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012 could've been just as successful had he only had a "bat."
Missing from Trump Jr.'s assessment, which he revealed in a video posted to social media, is that guns are critical in the amount of destruction a shooter can wreak, and assault weapons make it remarkably easy for shooters to kill numerous people very quickly.
You can hear what Trump Jr. said in the video below:
In his remarks, Trump Jr. mocked those who would blame the shooting on the gun but "not the sociopath wielding it."
He added:
"If it wasn't for the gun, this kid would be a well-adjusted, reasonable individual — he'd be a wonderful human being, right?"
“He wouldn’t have done the exact same thing with a bat, or a bomb, or some sort of improvised device — or a machete?”
Trump Jr. went on to claim that the mass shooting is the result of “crazy teachers” and “indoctrination programs” in United States schools.
Trump Jr. was swiftly criticized, with many pointing out the very obvious holes in his logic.
Trump Jr.'s claims deflect from the reality that the shooter obtained assault-style weapons thanks to loose gun restrictions.
Authorities identified the shooter as an 18-year-old male who was a resident of Uvalde and a student at Uvalde High School. He purchased two semi-automatic rifles through a local gun store earlier this month, just days after his birthday.
Last year, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed a law that loosened gun restrictions, allowing individuals who are 18 years or older to legally purchase long guns, which include shotguns and rifles.
Earlier this week, Abbott was loudly booed by the crowd as he arrived at a memorial to honor the lives of those killed in the shooting.
The response to Abbott's appearance lies in stark contrast to the warm welcome that President Joe Biden has received in Uvalde, coming after he consoled the victims and families of those who were killed by a White supremacist during a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York earlier this month.
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