Former President Barack Obama released a statement Monday on Twitter after the horrific shootings that took place in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio over the weekend.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also weighed in on Twitter with comments on guns and mental health.
Barack Obama expressed condolences for the victims of the shootings and then said, “No other nation on Earth comes close to experiencing the frequency of mass shootings that we see int he United State. No other developed nation tolerates the levels of gun violence that we do.”
However, he criticized people who say “tougher gun laws won’t stop all murders” because “the evidence shows that they can stop some killings.”
He pointed to what appears to be the motivation for the El Paso shooter, whose alleged manifesto expressed hatred for Hispanics, as “troubled individuals who embrace racist ideologies and themselves obligated to act violently to preserve white supremacy,” per Washington Examiner.
In his statement, Obama also appeared to take a veiled jab at President Trump. (Continued Below)
“We should soundly reject language coming of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racists sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people,” Obama claimed.
President Trump on Monday condemned racist hate. “The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate. In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America,” the Commander in Chief said. “Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart, and devours the soul.”
He also said, “We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly games that are now commonplace. It is too easy for youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must reform our mental health laws to better identify mentally disturbed individuals who may commit acts of violence and make sure those people, not only get treatment but when necessary, involuntary confinement. (Continued Below)
Bill and Hillary Clinton both responded on Twitter Monday:
Bill Clinton wrote, “How many more people have to die before we reinstate the assault weapons ban & the limit on high-capacity magazines & pass universal background checks? After they passed in 1994, there was a big drop in mass shooting deaths. When the ban expired, they rose again. We must act now.”
Hillary Clinton responded to President Trump and claimed, “People suffer from mental illness in every other country on earth; people play video games in virtually every other country on earth. The difference is the guns.”
President Trump condemned racism, bigotry, and white supremacy on Monday:
President Trump: "In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America." pic.twitter.com/aeeWzK35sn
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 5, 2019
Obama’s official statement and veiled jab:
Until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening: https://t.co/reTnmcg3xo
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 5, 2019
(Continued Below)
Bill Clinton’s official tweet:
How many more people have to die before we reinstate the assault weapons ban & the limit on high-capacity magazines & pass universal background checks? After they passed in 1994, there was a big drop in mass shooting deaths. When the ban expired, they rose again. We must act now.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) August 5, 2019
President Trump’s statement about mental health and video games:
"We must stop the glorification of violence," Trump said, referencing what he called "gruesome and grisly video games" and blaming mental illness & "troubled youth" for the recent mass shootings.
"Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger, not the gun," he continued pic.twitter.com/GKfiNJRRCu
— POLITICO (@politico) August 5, 2019
Hillary Clinton’s response to President Trump:
People suffer from mental illness in every other country on earth; people play video games in virtually every other country on earth.
The difference is the guns.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 5, 2019
(Continued Below)
