Broward County Sheriff Busts NRA Talking Points: ‘We Need Less Guns In America, Not More’

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The Broward County Sheriff overseeing the investigation into Wednesday’s tragic shooting in Parkland, Florida busted a key NRA talking point on Thursday, saying that America doesn’t need more guns; we need less.

Sheriff Scott Israel slammed folks for always being more concerned about their right to own a weapon than “the rights of our children.”

Video:

Sheriff Israel said:

People say, what about their rights? And I’m cognizant of their rights and I spent a lifetime in law enforcement protecting people’s rights. But at the end of the day, the rights of our children must be first and foremost. We need to protect our kids. Our kids go to places like schools and libraries with book bags and pencils. We need to do what’s in the best interests of our children. And lawmakers got to change the way they do things. The same old same old just ain’t working. You could talk about gun control and what have you. We need less guns in America, not more guns in America. Guns should never fall into the hands of people on no-fly zones, convicted felons. And while I pray for people who suffer from mental illnesses and I want them to get better and want them to heal, if a person is suffering from a mental illness, in the opinion of this sheriff, they shouldn’t be around a gun, able to possess a gun or buy a gun. Those are things we need to do to keep American safer and our children alive.

In less than a minute, Israel essentially busted a series of NRA-Republican talking points about guns, particularly the lie that more guns will make the country safer. He also made a veiled swipe at GOP-controlled lawmakers for blocking measures that would, as he said, prevent convicted felons and individuals on the no-fly list from getting their hands on a weapon.

The vast majority of the American people and most members of the law enforcement community, like Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, want substantive action to be taken by our lawmakers to prevent future mass killings like the one we saw in Parkland, Florida.

It’s time for Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress to prioritize these voices over their precious NRA campaign contributions.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.

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