Ted Cruz Flayed Over Ludicrous Idea For Preventing School Shootings
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According to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the solution to school shootings is fewer doorways and more guns.
After 19 children and two teachers were killed at a Texas elementary school Tuesday by a man armed with an assault rifle, the state’s senator suggested that schools would be safer if there was only one way in or out.
“One of the things that everyone agreed is don’t have all of these unlocked back doors. Have one door into and out of the school and have ... armed police officers at that door,” he told Fox News Wednesday.
Armed police officers were at the door quite quickly, thanks to several 911 calls. Those officers shot at the gunman and still did not prevent the deaths of those 21 victims.
“If that had happened,” Cruz said, “if those federal grants had gone to this school, when that psychopath arrived, the armed police officers could have taken him out. And we’d have 19 children and two teachers still alive.”
He accused Democrats calling for gun reform of “empty political posturing” after a tragedy and then immediately complained that Democrats blocked legislation he introduced nearly a decade ago that would spend $300 million on federal grants to “harden schools to make them safer” with upgrades like bulletproof doors, bulletproof glass and armed police officers.
Cruz: Have one door… and have that one door, armed police officers at that door. If that had happened.. when that psychopath had arrived, the armed police officers could’ve taken him out… pic.twitter.com/YnOCDs9GAZ
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 25, 2022
The U.S. has significantly more mass shootings than any other developed country, some of the loosest controls over who can buy guns and what sort of firearms are allowed.
Elected Republicans have repeatedly called for heightened security and mental health resources to protect children from shooting massacres, even though the data has shown again and again that the U.S. is an outlier on guns, not mental health or school security.
House Democrats and some Republicans have passed two bills that would tighten gun sales regulations by expanding background checks ― measures that consistently attract support from a majority of Americans in polls. But the legislation has stalled due to resistance from Senate Republicans, many of whom receive enormous campaign support from gun lobbyists.
Cruz, for example, has received nearly $750,000 during his time in office, according to campaign finance tracker Open Secrets.
His proposal to cut back on doors instead of guns met immediate backlash online. See the reaction below.
Should probably check with the fire department about this "one door" plan https://t.co/kiVPqUDKSP
— George Zornick (@gzornick) May 25, 2022
“I will not rest until every last school in this country is designed and operated like the SHU at a maximum security prison!” https://t.co/WsQXPpCCqz
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 25, 2022
The mass murderer in Buffalo literally killed an armed police officer in the grocery store, but Ted Cruz and Republicans are still sticking to the illogical fantasy that we need more guns to solve the problem of gun violence. https://t.co/OEM1b3Ud6j
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 25, 2022
NEW: Ted Cruz, speaking on the Uvalde shooting, talks about "what we need to do to harden schools, including not having unlocked back doors, including not having unlocked doors to classrooms.”
Yup, the issue here is doors. Not guns. Doors.— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) May 25, 2022
So @tedcruz says the solution to the epidemic of mass shootings in America is to ban all back doors. https://t.co/TtG8742PiM
— Katie S. Phang (@KatiePhang) May 26, 2022
This is Kirkwood High School where I graduated. It is a campus with some 12+ buildings on 3 streets. So, @tedcruz tell me about how they should lock all doors but one and put armed cops on it.
Performative jackassery to divert us again. It’s the guns you idiot. pic.twitter.com/GPffNQkBYr— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) May 26, 2022
senator Ted Cruz comes out bravely against doors.
pic.twitter.com/jI00KsURaT— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) May 26, 2022
Hey @tedcruz you complete pile of shit, how about a big fucking moat around the school? How about shrinking the school down so it fits in a safe? How about putting it on the moon? https://t.co/ta43zeUWhU
— Tim Heidecker (@timheidecker) May 25, 2022
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.