Donald Trump responded to the tragic shooting at a university in Florida, but reaffirmed his commitment as president with a phrase he believes is overused.
The incident occurred on April 17, when a gunman opened fire at Florida State University, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuring at least six more, according to authorities.
Phoenix Ikner, an FSU student, is the alleged shooter. The 20-year-old is reported as the son of a police officer and is believed to have used his mother’s former service weapon in the attack.
During a press conference at the White House, President Donald Trump commented on the shooting, saying: “These things are terrible.”
Trump then made a statement asserting his strong support for the Second Amendment, emphasizing he has protected it from the onset of his presidency.
He stated: “The gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do. It’s a phrase that’s used probably too often.”
Expressing his condolences, Trump said he was just learning about the incident and mentioned: “I will tell you that it’s a shame I’m just hearing about it now. I know the area very well, I know the school very well. And we’ll have more to say about it later, we’ll see what happens.”
When questioned on his remark about ‘see what happens,’ Trump clarified: “Only in terms of what happens as far as legislation’s concerned, this has been going on a long time.”
He concluded with a firm statement: “I have an obligation to protect the Second Amendment.”
“I ran on the Second Amendment – on many other things – and I will always protect the Second Amendment.”
Public reaction on social media was swift.
One Twitter user questioned: “If guns aren’t the problem, why do countries with fewer guns have fewer mass shootings? If people are the problem, why not support laws that keep guns out of dangerous hands?”
Another commented: “Bro picks and chooses what parts of the constitution he wants to follow.”
A third humorously noted: “‘The gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do,’ he says, like someone defending a haunted blender after it diced the neighbor. This man would trip over a rake, sue gravity, and still blame the Constitution.”
A fourth individual stated: “I’m a gun owner. People need to understand that 2A & common sense gun laws can coexist, it’s not partisan & no one is coming for our guns.”
Another added: “You can be pro-gun, pro-2A, and pro-gun legislation.”
The shooting suspect was shot and hospitalized, where Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell reports he is being treated for ‘serious but non-life-threatening injuries.’
The motive for the shooting remains unknown, and the identities of the victims have not yet been made public.
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