WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A former Republican Senate majority leader from Tennessee pushed for action to prevent gun violence on Wednesday. He took to social media after the school shooting that killed 19 young children and two adults in Texas.
"Firearms became the leading cause of death for American children and teenagers in 2020, surpassing car accidents for the first time in over 60 years," said Bill Frist on social media. "I can't imagine this is what the Founding Fathers hoped for or intended. We can find ways to preserve the intent of the Second Amendment while also safeguarding the lives of our children."
Frist is a doctor who formerly served as the U.S. Senate majority leader from 2003 to 2007. He is a Republican who served as a U.S. senator from 1995 through 2007.
The White House shared his post on social media on Thursday, saying that it was evidence of bipartisan support for lawmakers to take action against gun violence.
"Our kids have a right to feel safe going to school," Frist said in the post. "Americans should feel safe in grocery stores, in houses of worship, in our public spaces. The time to act is now."
People and communities took to social media to share their grief after the school shooting in Uvalde. Police said the gunman walked through the front door of the school with a large rifle and was in the school for around an hour before he was shot and killed by authorities.
"I am saddened and outraged about yet another school shooting, on top of the shootings at churches, grocery stores, and shopping centers," said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. "This is not normal. This is not acceptable. We must demand change by our lawmakers in Nashville and in Washington, D.C."
President Joe Biden also called for action, urging lawmakers to turn "this pain into action." Just two days before the conference, he met with the families of victims who were killed in a racist shooting in Buffalo.
