WASHINGTON -- GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson implied Tuesday that the Oregon shooting victims didn't do enough to save themselves, and that if he himself had been there, he would have been more aggressive in confronting the attacker.
"I would not just stand there and let him shoot me," Carson said on "Fox & Friends." "I would say, 'Hey, guys, everybody attack him. He may shoot me, but he can’t get us all.'"
Skip to 0:25 in the video above to hear Carson describe what he would have done if he'd been present at the shooting.
Notwithstanding Carson's claim that the UCC victims just "let" Harper-Mercer shoot them, Army veteran Chris Mintz did fight back. Harper-Mercershot Mintz seven times. Mintz survived, but is still recovering from his wounds.
Carson also criticized President Barack Obama for saying last week thatshootings should be politicized so that politicians will actually take action to address gun violence.
"When do we get to the point where we have people who actually want to solve our problems rather thanjust politicize everything?" Carson said. "I think that’s what the American people are so sick and tired of."
Carson also went on Facebook on Monday night and said the Oregon shooting hadn't changed his position against increased restrictions on gun ownership, because he "never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away."
This story has been updated to include Ben Carson's Facebook comment.
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1981: The Attempted Assassination Of President Ronald Reagan
On March 30, 1981, President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. outside the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady, was shot in the head.
1993: The Brady Handgun Violence Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Act of 1993, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, mandated that federally licensed dealers complete comprehensive background checks on individuals before selling them a gun. The legislation was named for James Brady, who was shot during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
1994: The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, instituted a ban on 19 kinds of assault weapons, including Uzis and AK-47s. The crime bill also banned the possession of magazines holding more than ten rounds of ammunition. (An exemption was made for weapons and magazines manufactured prior to the ban.)
2007: The U.S. Court of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Rules In Favor Of Dick Heller
In 2007 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled to allow Dick Heller, a licensed District police officer, to keep a handgun in his home in Washington, D.C. Following that ruling, the defendants petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case.
2008: Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Handgun Ban As Unconstitutional
In June of 2008, the United States Supreme Court upheld the verdict of a lower court ruling the D.C. handgun ban unconstitutional in the landmark case District of Columbia v. Heller.
Gabrielle Giffords And Trayvon Martin Shootings
Gun control advocates had high hopes that reform efforts would have increased momentum in the wake of two tragic events that rocked the nation. In January of 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire at an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), killing six and injuring 13, including the congresswoman. Resulting attempts to push gun control legislation proved fruitless, with neither proposal even succeeding in gaining a single GOP co-sponsor. More than a year after that shooting, Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was gunned down by George Zimmerman in an event that some believed would bring increased scrutiny on the nation's Stand Your Ground laws. While there has been increasing discussion over the nature of those statutes, lawmakers were quick to concede that they had little faith the event would effectively spur gun control legislation, thanks largely to the National Rifle Association's vast lobbying power. Read more here:
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In July of 2012, a heavily armed gunman opened fire on theatergoers attending a midnight premiere of the final film of the latest Batman trilogy, killing 12 and wounding scores more. The suspect, James Eagan Holmes, allegedly carried out the act with a number of handguns, as well as an AR-15 assault rifle with a 100-round drum magazine. Some lawmakers used the incident, which took place in a state with some of the laxest gun control laws, to bring forth legislation designed to place increased regulations on access to such weapons, but many observers, citing previous experience, were hesitant to say that they would be able to overcome the power of the National Rifle Association and Washington gun lobby.
Sikh Temple Shooting
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