In the wake of the Apalachee school shooting in Georgia, JD Vance called gun violence a “fact of life,” following Donald Trump telling a grieving community in Iowa to “get over it” in the aftermath of a school shooting. In state after state, tragedy after tragedy, Trump and Vance refuse to act to protect our communities. In response to Trump and Vance’s continued indifference to America’s gun violence epidemic, DNC Spokesperson Cameron Niven released the following statement: 

“JD Vance throwing his hands up and accepting the gun violence plaguing our children’s classrooms and communities as a ‘fact of life’ mirrors his boss’s callous comments and outright refusal to take action on our nation’s gun violence crisis. As president, Donald Trump blocked commonsense gun safety measures as he oversaw the largest single-year increase in homicides ever recorded. It’s no mystery why: on the campaign trail, Trump promised his gun lobby donors he wouldn’t ‘lay a finger’ on the NRA. America’s children are paying the price. Now, Trump and Vance’s Project 2025 agenda would make kids even less safe. As Vice President Harris said: ‘it doesn’t have to be this way.’ Families in states across the country demand commonsense gun reform. Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz are the only candidates in this race who will answer that call and keep our children safe.”

A day after four people were killed and nine were hospitalized in a school shooting in Georgia, JD Vance called school shootings a “fact of life.”

Associated Press: “School shootings are a ‘fact of life,’” 

Arizona Republic: “Clearly, strict gun laws is not the thing that’s going to solve this problem,”

Axios: “‘We don’t have to like the reality that we live in, but it is the reality we live in. We’ve got to deal with it,’ he added.”

The Guardian: “As a parent, do I want my kids’ school to have additional security? No, of course I don’t. But that is increasingly the reality that we live in.” 

Vance is following the dangerous lead of Donald Trump— who told school shooting victims to “get over it,” touts his close ties to the NRA, and continues to bend to the gun lobby’s will at every turn.

Rolling Stone: “Trump on Iowa School Shooting: ‘Get Over It’”

“A day after a gunman killed a sixth grade student and wounded five other people at Perry High School northwest of Des Moines, Donald Trump returned to the state at a campaign event and told residents that they ‘have to get over it.’”

Trump: “There’s no bigger fan of the NRA [than me].”

NBC News: “Trump says mass shootings are not ‘a gun problem’ as 2024 GOP hopefuls pledge loyalty to the NRA”

Washington Post: “After latest shooting, Trump pushes Facebook ads ‘straight from the NRA playbook’”

As senator, Vance called banning the use of bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire hundreds of bullets per minute, like the one used in the Las Vegas shooting, “a huge distraction” and said that attempts to advance commonsense gun reform legislation solve “fake problems.” 

The Hill: “‘I think it’s a huge distraction,’ said Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), who is believed to be on Trump’s shortlist to be his running mate. ‘This is week three of Chuck Schumer focusing on fake problems instead of real problems.’”

NBC News: “His [Vance’s] comments drew a fiery response from [NV Sen. Jacky] Rosen, who faces re-election this year. The Las Vegas gunman used firearms equipped with bump stocks.

“‘This is not a fake problem,’ she told reporters. ‘Let him come to Las Vegas. Let him see the memorial for those people who died. Let him talk to those families. It’s not a fake problem. Those families are dead.’”

NBC News: “‘I think that we have to ask ourselves: What is the real gun violence problem in this country, and are we legislating in a way that solves fake problems? Or solves real problems?’”

Washington Post: “The National Rifle Association praised Vance’s record on gun rights. Vance has rejected calls for tougher gun laws and dismissed a Democrat-led effort to ban bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire hundreds of bullets per minute, as ‘a huge distraction.’ In 2022, Vance said he favored abolishing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which enforces federal gun laws.”

The Guardian: “JD Vance ‘disrespecting the dead’ with bump stock remarks, Nevada senator says”

In Uvalde, Texas, after a gunman killed 19 children and two adults, Vance promoted extreme policies like abolishing the ATF and blamed the shooting on a lack of “family values.” 

HuffPost: “In his statement on the Uvalde school shooting, Vance cited the absence of strong family values — and not the lack of gun control — to explain why a gunman would murder 19 children and two teachers.

‘We need to address the culture of fatherlessness and drug addiction in our country, focus on the importance of family so that our next generation is guided and empowered with strong support systems,’ Vance said.”

Deseret News: “In a statement following the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting that killed 19 children and two adults, Vance blamed a lack of familial support, saying, ‘We need to address the culture of fatherlessness and drug addiction in our country, focus on the importance of family so that our next generation is guided and empowered with strong support systems.’”

The Hill: “Joe Biden’s ATF is illegally collecting information on the gun transactions of millions of law-abiding citizens & putting them into a digital database. As Senator, I’ll not only lead the fight against Biden’s unconstitutional gun database, I’ll fight to ABOLISH the ATF,” Vance tweeted at the time.”

Trump and Vance are doubling down on their dangerous policies. Their Project 2025 agenda would fuel America’s gun violence epidemic and make our kids less safe.

Center for American Progress: “Project 2025 Would Increase Gun Violence, Reversing Historic Declines”

“The far right’s new authoritarian playbook would invalidate state laws on concealed carry, making it so almost anyone can carry firearms in public—from Times Square to the National Mall.”