GOA Responds to Oregon Shooting

“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” said GOA Director of Communications Erich Pratt. “This is a very tragic day, and all Americans are mourning with the residents of Oregon.

“But we find it offensive to hear the White House use a tragedy like this, and instantly turn it into a political opportunity. The President spoke to the nation today, saying it’s proper for him to politicize this tragedy. He called for more ‘common sense’ gun control, which is insane, given that the criminally-minded don’t obey the law,” Pratt said.

“It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm on other people to get his or her hands on a gun,” the President said. He then rattled off a list of gun free zones where shooters had inflicted damage, including Columbine, Blacksburg, Newtown, Aurora and Charleston.

“Mr. President, you just identified the problem,” Pratt said. “Every public mass shooting since 1950, except for two, has occurred in a Gun Free Zone. This shooting is no different,” Pratt continued. “And that is why GOA agrees with the 86% of police who say that these types of incidents would be prevented if the potential victims were not disarmed.

“Apparently, we have not learned the lesson of the 2012 Clackamas Mall shooting in Oregon. When a gunman began killing people in the mall, Nick Meli drew his concealed firearm and pointed it at the gunman, thus spooking him into taking his own life. Nick Meli was breaking the ‘no guns policy’ at the mall, but there are many survivors who are glad he did. Let’s repeal Gun Free Zones,” Pratt concluded.