- Press Release
As Trump Takes the Stage, March For Our Lives Isn’t Holding Our Breath
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MILWAUKEE, WI — Today, as the Republican National Convention (RNC) concludes, former President Trump is expected to speak about his nomination, the recent attempt on his life, and “unity.” While we hope Trump genuinely feels moved to lower the political temperature, the last few days of the RNC and Trump’s consistent and continued rhetoric that has platformed political violence leave us struggling to believe him.
From calling his opponents vermin, inciting an insurrection, to mocking other acts of political violence against other elected officials, and even expressing support for his former vice president to be hanged—since Trump roared onto the political scene almost ten years ago, he has trafficked in division, hate, and violence. That has led directly to the political toxicity we’re at now. Not only has Trump invoked and had at least 54 cases of violence connected to him, but after he took office in 2016, threats to elected officials across both parties, Democratic and Republican, rose sharply and increased by 178%. From the attacks on Governor Whitmer and the Congressional baseball shooting to Nancy Peloi’s husband being attacked in their home, political violence has drastically increased since Trump entered the political arena.
“It’s simple: Trump can’t just call for “unity” only when it serves him and only after he’s targeted by the kind of violence he’s repeatedly incited,” said Natalie Fall, Executive Director of March For Our Lives. “For a candidate who has lied time and again, has trafficked in violent language for years, and has put more weapons of war on our streets to only now talk about “lowering the political temperature” is mighty rich. Just this past week, the RNC has featured speakers like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, and others, who have consistently spewed dangerous rhetoric and called for political violence. GOP leaders taking the stage have mocked victims of gun violence and propagated conspiracy theories about mass shootings for years. That is unacceptable. We continue to call for an end to all forms of gun violence, including particularly dangerous political violence. But we won’t hold our breath to see if Trump will genuinely join us in lowering the temperature.”
In light of the attempted assassination of Trump, it’s important to note that the shooter was legally able to obtain his AR-15 in Pennsylvania, but couldn’t have purchased it right next door in New Jersey, Delaware, or Maryland. While Democrats in the Pennsylvania legislature have repeatedly tried to ban assault rifles and pass other gun safety laws, most recently in May, their Republican colleagues have continued to block any and all legislation. While the motive remains unknown, the shooting fits a continued pattern—angry young men with a gripe to pick with society, accessing the means to carry out mass terror and violence with ease thanks to loose gun laws. The formula is clear and the solutions are too. We hope that former President Trump would have a change of heart and demand laws that could have prevented the very shooting that targeted him. But in light of this week’s Republican National Convention, his previous promise to unravel all of Biden’s gun safety laws, and one of his senior advisers re-affirming his stance to not enact any gun laws despite the shooting, we’re doubtful.
Watch what Trump does, not just what he says.
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