In two shootings over the weekend, in El Paso and in Dayton, 31 people died.
President Trump spoke for about eight minutes Monday morning about the shootings. In part, the President said,
“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. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul.
“We have asked the FBI to identify all further resources they need to investigate and disrupt hate crimes and domestic terrorism — whatever they need.
“We must recognize that the Internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts. We must shine light on the dark recesses of the Internet and stop mass murders before they start. The Internet, likewise, is used for human trafficking, illegal drug distribution, and so many other heinous crimes.
“The perils of the Internet and social media cannot be ignored, and they will not be ignored. In the two decades since Columbine, our nation has watched with rising horror and dread as one mass shooting has followed another — over and over again, decade after decade. We cannot allow ourselves to feel powerless.”
To talk about the shootings and about how to solve the problem of gun violence, we spoke with Kelly Moore, with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
We talked about the Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s decision to legally challenge a citizens’ ballot initiative to outlaw certain semi-automatic weapons.
And about the U.S. Senate’s refusal to allow a vote on the gun background check bill passed by the House months ago.
Listen to the show here – the mass shooting segment starts at about the 15th minute.
There’s a vigil Monday in St. Petersburg hosted by the Women’s March Florida and Florida Public Services Union. The “Tampa Bay Against Gun Violence Vigil” starts at 8:00 p.m. in downtown’s Williams Park, 350 2nd Avenue North.
