Trump Supports an AR-15 Killer
On This Day In 2020
Note: Rather than include a photo or artwork in today’s OTDI, we direct you to this graphical Washington Post report of what exactly happens when an AR-15 is fired. It’s horrifying. Why our government, and especially the GOP, continues to allow military-style weapons to flow onto our streets remains puzzling to us. There have been successful bipartisan efforts to stem the tide in the past (Brady Bill) which still respect the 2nd Amendment; the disrespect some politicians have for life these days is pitiful.
In Kenosha, Wisconsin, OTDI 2020, a 17-year old American boy murdered two people -- Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber -- and paralyzed a third, using an AR-15 military-style weapon. He said he was trying to protect a car dealership against BLM protestors.
That was a difficult paragraph for us to type. Tragedy like that simply doesn’t happen in most other civilized nations.
What Donald Trump found difficult about the situation, though, was the notion that the kid should get into trouble for his actions. The president could have used the opportunity to try to heal a deeply wounded community and nation. Or he could have taken a moment to wonder why those kinds of weapons are so readily available in this country.
Instead, he defended the shooter. And he refused to even meet with the family of the paralyzed victim when he visited Kenosha.
Politico writes: “Trump suggested that the protesters were the instigators, out to get (the accused shooter), and that he was acting in self-defense. ‘That was an interesting situation,’ the president said. ‘He was trying to get away from them, I guess it looks like, and he fell... I guess he was in very big trouble. He probably would’ve been killed. It’s under investigation.”
When the shooter successfully avoided a prison sentence, the GOP celebrated. For many, the kid became like the Super Bowl winner who gets rewarded with trip to a Florida theme park: He got to visit Trump's home to shake the hand of Donald Trump, who judged him to be “a really nice young man.” He also got a job offer from at least one Republican congressman.
Again, even if he was purely defending himself, what was a 17-year old American doing on the streets with a military assault weapon?
Btw: Perhaps he was inspired by these catchy words of Donald Trump?
2024 update: Two weeks ago, the now 21-year old killer announced he wouldn’t be voting for Trump. That unleashed a barrage of vitriol from gun enthusiasts. As The Independent explained: “Following the post, Trump’s team scrambled to get (the killer) back on their side, a move that proved successful by Friday afternoon, when (the killer) announced he had spent a whopping 12 hours having “productive conversations” with the former president’s campaign officials.
Referencing Trump, (the 21-year old) said, ‘I am confident he will be the strong ally gun owners need to defend our Second Amendment rights. My comments made last night were ill-informed and unproductive. I’m 100% behind Donald Trump and encourage every gun owner to join me in helping send him back to the White House.’”
Note: Here at OTDI, as per policy, we do not display the killer’s name on these pages
Dive Deeper
Politico reported on Trump’s defense
Reuters has some video
NPR has more on Trump’s defense
“A really nice young man” reports The Guardian:
The Independent, via Yahoo News, has the 2024 update