July 5, 2022
“I also want to mention a couple things that we have experienced here today, witnessing as it’s unfolding, the horrific shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. And it just seems to go on and on and on. And how many times can hearts be broken? How many more tears have to be shed because the insanity of gun violence and its captivation and its stranglehold on so many individuals and organizations in this country? It’s appalling, and it’s a national embarrassment for us, as we think about the rest of the world.
“They have the same challenges in life, they have struggles, they have mental health challenges, and the only difference is the incredible access to weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction that belong nowhere but a battlefield. And I think it’s about high time we say that we were safer when there was a national assault weapon ban in our nation, and why we don’t have the courage to get back to that place, where we respect the rights of lawful gun owners, the hunting community, the sports community, we understand all this and we’ll never touch those rights.
“But who said, back when this country was founded, we just celebrated the birth of America, that our founding fathers envisioned that this many years away, that they would expect people to claim a right to an assault weapon? So, let’s just start talking about how we reclaim our country, how we start saving lives and get back to the nation that we all cherish and love. Thank you.
“309 mass shootings thus far this year, the twelfth this month. Do I need to remind you what date this is? It’s July 5th. Twelfth this month. So, thank you. Thank you for letting me share that with you, because this has been on my mind, especially as I just spoke to someone up in Buffalo and things are still tough back in our hometown too. So, a lot going on, but there’s a place of energy here, a place of optimism. That’s what I love about this place, that there is no problem that we can’t conquer when we put our minds to it, and we have incredible technologists and others who are really working hard to lead us to a different future.
“And that’s what I’m hoping, with what I just spoke about a different future, where we value life more than guns, but also a place we also protect our environment, where we value the lives of future generations, as much as those today. And that is what today is all about, valuing human life.”
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