Since the Parkland school shooting, Republicans have said that common-sense gun reforms are not the answer, blamed seemingly everything but guns for the shooting, and even created conspiracy theories against student activists. While thousands of students across the country speak out and urge their legislators to take action to ensure another tragedy like this never happens again, Republicans continue to do nothing.<\/p>\n
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Republicans have said that common-sense gun reforms are not the answer to school shootings, or that now is not the time to act.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaker Paul Ryan<\/u><\/strong> said Congress needs to “take a breath and collect the facts<\/a>” and “step back and count our blessings<\/a>” before addressing the Parkland school shooting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senator Marco Rubio<\/u><\/strong> said he hoped people would “reserve judgement<\/a>” about the causes of the Parkland school shooting and that it was wrong to talk about gun control until you “know the facts.”<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senator Ted Cruz<\/u><\/strong> said “gun control is not the answer<\/a>” to mass shootings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senator Mike Rounds<\/u><\/strong> said that assault weapons should not be “demonized<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep Chris Collins<\/u><\/strong> said the response to the Parkland school shooting “should not be a gun control debate<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Republicans have suggested that thoughts and prayers alone<\/strong> are enough to prevent these types of tragedies.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany<\/u><\/strong> suggested that “thoughts and prayers<\/a>” and “Christian values<\/a>” are enough to avert school shootings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Jim Jordan<\/u><\/strong> said on mass shootings that “you can only pray and hope that this stuff stops<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Republicans blamed school shootings on cultural issues including violent video games, TV and other pop culture exposure.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Markwayne Mullin<\/u><\/strong> blamed mass shootings on “Hollywood elites<\/a>” making billions “exposing our kids to all types of violence in movies<\/a>” and video games.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Governor Matt Bevin<\/u><\/strong> said the cause of mass shootings “isn’t in the gun<\/a>” but that “something culturally has changed<\/a>” and blamed movies, music and video games.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Marsha Blackburn<\/u><\/strong> blamed a “seediness that had crept into our culture<\/a>” and specifically cited rap music and“TV shows and movies and things that seem to glorify violence<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Secretary Betsy Devos<\/u><\/strong> tied Fentanyl in schools to the Florida school shooting as “some serious cultural issues<\/a>”that had to be addressed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Republicans have accused Democrats of politicizing this tragedy and trying to take away Second Amendment rights by pushing for common-sense gun reforms.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senator Ted Cruz<\/u><\/strong> said that “the reaction of Democrats to any tragedy is to try to politicize it<\/a>” and “take away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n White House spokesman Hogan Gidley<\/u><\/strong> called Democrats “grotesque<\/a>” for talking about gun reforms in the wake of mass shootings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaker Paul Ryan<\/u><\/strong> said the conversation about gun control “typically<\/a>” goes in the direction of “taking away a law-abiding citizen’s rights<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Senator Tim Scot<\/u><\/strong>t<\/u><\/strong> said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal’s call for gun reform to be an election issue in the wake of Parkland was “politicizing and capitalizing on a heinous crime<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Jim Jordan<\/u><\/strong> said that whenever one of these tragedies takes place, “there are always folks [who] want to infringe on fundamental liberties<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep Chris Collins<\/u><\/strong> said that the “liberal left<\/a>” tries to politicize every tragedy and now wants to “take away all of our guns<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Steve Scalise<\/u><\/strong> claimed that bills introduced by proponents of gun reform in response to mass shootings were a way to “take away the rights of law abiding citizens<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Ted Budd<\/u><\/strong> said that “the left<\/a>” politicized mass shootings to push a gun control agenda.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n RNC Co-Chair Bob Paduchik<\/u><\/strong> said that Democrats “showed their true colors<\/a>” of wanting to restrict people’s liberties when pushing for common-sense gun reforms.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rep. Claudia Tenny<\/u><\/strong> said that “so many of the people who commit the <\/p>\n President Trump<\/u><\/strong> claimed that Democrats will “take away your Second Amendment<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Republicans have even spread conspiracy theories about the Parkland students and called their activism a political trap.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Former Rep. Jack Kingston<\/u><\/strong> said that student survivors of the Parkland school shooting were “hijacked by left-wing groups<\/a>.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\nse<\/s> mass murders end up being Democrats<\/a>.”<\/p>\n