Five years ago, tragedy struck Parkland, Florida, when a maniac murdered 17 people, including 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
On Tuesday, President Biden marked the fifth anniversary of the shooting by pushing for stricter gun control measures and touting the gun control measures his administration had already taken.
However, Ryan Petty, who lost his 14-year-old daughter in the shooting, lambasted the president for using the tragedy to push his political agenda.
“Don’t use my daughter’s death to advance your political agenda,” Petty tweeted. “Because of your politicized FBI, failed Obama-era school discipline policies, and a sheriff that cared more about his image in the community than enforcing the law, a maniac was allowed to attack a school. Try learning what really happened.”
Don’t use my daughter’s death to advance your political agenda. Because of your politicized FBI, failed Obama era school discipline policies and a Sheriff that cared more about his image in the community than enforcing the law, a maniac was allowed to attack a school. Try… https://t.co/XdbTgnDNmI
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) February 14, 2023
Petty then pasted a link to an official report submitted to the governor and state legislature on what happened during the shooting.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Petty said gun control wouldn’t solve the problem of school shootings.
“I don’t think gun control would solve these problems,” he said. “There are too many guns already in the hands of Americans across the country. The thought that we can pass some new gun control law and protect our schools just doesn’t make any sense, especially when you understand what happened.”
Petty explained that school shootings are complex and require several solutions and preventative tactics, adding that schools can take practical steps toward building a safer environment for students.
“Criminals don’t obey gun laws,” he said. “The only way to make our schools safer is by implementing a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of school shootings.”
Petty is a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission and the founder of the WalkUp Foundation, which works to protect students and teachers at schools through evidence-based policies and programs.
It’s tragic that tragedy has to be used as a means of pushing a political agenda. We must remember those who have been lost in such heinous acts of violence and work to find solutions that will make our schools safer for everyone.
Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.