American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten called for a so-called “assault weapons” ban on Thursday following the tragic shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, that killed two children.
Weingarten, a powerful proponent for the harmful school closures during the COVID pandemic, said on MSNBC’s “Chris Jansing Reports” that a “nationwide assault weapons ban” must be enacted to ensure that human life matters more than guns. She said that the type of shooting that happened at the Annunciation Catholic School cannot be normalized by a so-called “gun culture.”
“There are more guns on the streets than we have people,” Weingarten said. “And the principal cause of death for kids is these kind of killings. We need to find ways, I agree with [Democratic Minnesota Sen] Amy Klobuchar. We have to fight for a nationwide assault weapons ban. Part of that fight is to create a culture that human life means more than a gun culture. And we know that hunters are with us, we know there are responsible gun owners with us, but we cannot normalize this.”
WATCH:
The term “assault weapon” is a phrase used by gun control advocates to gain support for a ban on semi-automatic guns with features similar to firearms with fully automatic capabilities. A semi-automatic weapon, which includes AR-15s and AK-47s, only shoot one bullet at a time, while fully automatic firearms can shoot out several bullets at a time, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) said in a fact sheet.
Former President Joe Biden co-sponsored a ban on so-called “assault weapons” in the 1994 crime bill. While president, he stated that this ban brought down mass killings, though a review of the matter found “mixed” evidence that mass shootings decreased as a result of the legislation, according to FactCheck.org.
Robin Westman, a trans-identifying male who carried out the shooting, possessed three firearms and opened fire through the window of the church during a Mass service, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed on Wednesday. The shooting killed two children ages eight and ten, and injured 17 others. Westman then took his own life with one of the firearms in the back of the church.
Westman purchased all of the firearms legally shortly after the attack. He posted disturbing videos on YouTube of his firearms, cartridges and ammunition which included cryptic messages, including one that called for President Donald Trump to be killed.
Westman changed his name from Roger to Robin when he was 17 years of age in 2019 under the parental approval of his mother. He later stated in his manifesto before the shooting that he regretted being trans and wished he had “never brainwashed” himself.
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