Republicans refuse to address gun violence as nation sees 476th mass shooting of 2023

A shooting on Monday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill left a faculty member dead. After he was reportedly thwarted in an attempt to carry out a mass shooting at the historically Black Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida, on Aug. 23, an assailant shot and killed three customers and himself at a Dollar General store. A man with a criminal history that included gun law violations caused sections of Pittsburgh to be shut down for hours on Aug. 23 as he reportedly fired more than 100 rounds against law enforcement trying to serve an eviction notice.

As has been the case with previous mass shootings, the few Republican politicians who responded at all have shown no willingness to take meaningful steps to curb gun violence.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 476 mass shootings in the United States already in 2023. More than 28,000 Americans have died from gun violence this year, including 1,200 kids.

A review of the social media postings by Republican politicians who represent Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania in Congress found that many have not responded publicly to these recent shootings at all. Those who have mostly dodged the issue of gun violence entirely.

North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd tweeted on Monday:

My team and I have been closely following the tragic situation at UNC-Chapel Hill today, and our hearts go out to the victim’s family and the UNC community. We thank law enforcement for their swift response and their capture of the perpetrator of this evil act. As the investigation continues, I will remain committed to boosting security and tackling our country’s mental health challenges.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis tweeted, “We must all continue to work together to protect our schools, confront the nation’s mental health crisis, and keep firearms out of the wrong hands.”

North Carolina Rep. Dan Bishop tweeted, “My prayers are with the entire UNC community today, and with the family of the deceased. I’m grateful to the first responders and law enforcement who were able to apprehend the suspect. My office is continuing to closely monitor the situation as we wait for more information.”

“Racism, hate and violence have NO PLACE in Florida. We’ve reached out to local authorities,” Florida Sen. Rick Scott tweeted. “Ann and I are praying for those whose lives were senselessly taken and their families.”

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio does not appear to have addressed the shooting on social media.

The state’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the Jacksonville attack and tweeted, “Our family is praying for the victims, their families and the student body of Edward Waters University.”

On Monday, NPR reported that DeSantis was booed at a vigil for the victims as one attendee yelled, “Your policies caused this.”

As Tillis and Budd did, Republicans often claim the solution to gun violence is better mental health treatment. Experts say this is dishonest, citing research that found just a tiny fraction of violent attacks are attributable solely to serious mental illness and that individuals with mental illness are no more likely than anyone else to commit acts of gun violence.

A fact sheet posted on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s website debunks the stigmatizing myth that people with mental health conditions are violent:

Most people with mental health conditions are no more likely to be violent than anyone else. Only 3%–5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are over 10 times more likely to be victims of a violent crime than the general population. You probably know someone with a mental health condition and don’t even realize it, because many people with mental health conditions are highly active and productive members of our communities.

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2024, suggested on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Aug. 27 that he would deter gun violence by speeding up capital punishment for mass shooters: “We’ve got to send a message to anyone that has evil in their hearts that there is no chance for them to spend the rest of their life behind bars, that they’re going to meet their fate in months, not years.”

As the website Truthout.org noted on Monday, experts agree that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent of homicides and that mass shooters frequently take their own lives, as was the case in Jacksonville.

Democrats in Congress and in state legislatures have proposed legislation to require universal background checks for gun purchases, limits on semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines, and extreme risk protection orders (commonly known as red-flag laws) to temporarily disarm people deemed by the courts to be an immediate threat to themselves or others.

Republicans, many of whom have been heavily funded by the National Rifle Association, have blocked federal legislation and action in many GOP-run states.

Despite the pleas of families of kids who were victims and survivors of a March mass shooting at a parochial elementary school in Nashville and even Republican Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee state legislators have refused to pass gun safety legislation. On Monday, the GOP majority in the Tennessee House of Representatives voted to silence Democratic Rep. Justin Jones for the day after he suggested that putting more police officers in schools was not an effective solution.

In recent days, Republicans in Congress have attacked President Joe Biden’s administration for complying with a federal law barring federal funding for public schools that teach kids how to shoot weapons.

Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) railed against the government’s revoking of licenses from gun dealers that do not comply with the law, tweeting on Aug. 19: “Chicago is a war zone! DC is a shooting gallery! And the Biden Admin wants to make it more difficult for law-abiding citizens to protect themselves?! Congress must use the appropriations process to reign [sic] in Biden’s alphabet agencies!”

National polls consistently show strong popular support for background checks and other gun safety legislation.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.