Vance calls school shootings a ‘fact of life’ at Arizona rally

Greg Bluestein | (TNS) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told rallygoers in Arizona on Thursday that school shootings are a “fact of life” and that officials need to bolster security to prevent violence like the deadly rampage this week at a northeast Georgia high school.

“If these psychos are going to go after our kids, we’ve got to be prepared for it,” said Vance, the running-mate of former President Donald Trump. “We don’t have to like the reality that we live in. But it is the reality that we live in. We’ve got to deal with it.”

It brought backlash from supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, who brought up the shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County to renew calls for gun restrictions, enhanced background checks and more security.

“Trump and Vance have railed against commonsense reforms and federal bipartisan gun safety legislation that would protect innocent lives,” said Alex Floyd of the Democratic National Committee.

“As Trump and Vance put the gun lobby ahead of the American people, voters are ready to reject their dangerous and out-of-touch agenda in November.”

At the Arizona rally, Vance described the shootings as an “awful tragedy” committed by an “absolute barbarian.”

“I don’t like that this is a fact of life,” Vance said. “But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools. We’ve got to bolster security so if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of children they’re not able.”

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