In the wake of Sunday’s deadly shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, Sheriff T.K. Waters addressed the mass shooting narrative that has been pushed by voices on the left.
“The story is always about guns,” Waters said in a news conference. “People are bad. This guy’s a bad guy. If I could take my gun off right now and I lay it on this counter, nothing will happen. It’ll sit there. But as soon as a wicked person grabs ahold of that handgun and starts shooting people with it, there’s the problem. The problem is the individual.”
The Jacksonville shooting, which left two dead and 10 injured, has been blamed on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for two reasons by the left. Firstly, it is claimed that his anti-woke agenda sparked the shooter’s blatant racism. Secondly, a constitutional carry bill passed by the Florida legislature and signed by DeSantis has been blamed.
Sheriff Waters brushed aside this narrative and instead focused on the problem of lying to the individual. Following the press conference, Brian Krassenstein of Agitator tweeted the video and said he agreed with the Sheriff. He acknowledged that laws exist to ensure that people who should not have guns don’t have access to them, but argued that they are not fully enforced, citing a particular example from Los Angeles.
However, it is important to note that a lack of meaningful gun control is not necessarily the cause of the Jacksonville mass shooting. Reports from the scene said the shooter was wearing a ballistic vest and had a few extra magazines. That would suggest the shooter had a plan, and thus, had likely obtained the weapons in a way that does not require passing background checks or stricter gun rules.
Nevertheless, the shooting has renewed the debate over gun control efforts in Florida. For example, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry expressed his support for “reasonable restrictions” and was in favor of implementing red flag laws, which allow law enforcement to take away someone’s gun if they are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
In the end, Sheriff Waters’ comments reflect the truth behind mass shootings. These heinous events are caused by individuals and cannot be attributed to anything else. Gun control may help reduce gun violence, but there is no guarantee that it will prevent another deadly attack such as the one that occurred in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, the only way to stop the current trend of mass shootings is to focus on identifying and helping those individuals who may be at risk of harming themselves or others.
Thank you Sherriff for speaking the truth. pic.twitter.com/l5Inz3Vj8v
— FADDE (@fadde) August 27, 2023
