VP Kamala Harris Speaks Out in Surprise Visit to Scene of Highland Park Massacre: ‘We’ve Got To Be Smarter As a Country’
Vice President Kamala Harris expressed empathy and called for action on gun laws in a surprise visit to the scene of the mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, telling the crowd “we’ve got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what and, in particular, assault weapons.”
On Tuesday morning, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering invited VP Harris to visit after the VP’s speech to the National Education Association in Chicago.
That night, Harris met with the mayor and other officials at the intersection of Green Bay and Central Ave., within sight of the crime scene where suspect Robert Crimo III carried out a terrifying mass shooting that killed at least seven and wounded dozens during a 4th of July parade.
Pool reports described the crime scene as “largely intact. Childrens bikes, a baby stroller, water coolers, toys and lawn chairs are scattered along the brick sidewalks.”
After speaking with officials, the vice president strode to the microphone and spoke for several minutes about the need for healing, but also for gun reform,
Well, to the community of Highland Park: I bring you condolences from President Joe Biden and from our country. I’m so sorry for what you all have experienced and the pain, the suffering. This should never have happened. We talk about it being senseless; it is senseless. It is absolutely senseless.
I want for you that you hold each other tight as a community, that you know that you have a whole nation who cares deeply about you and stands with you. This is a — an incredibly tight community. I know that. And this person will be brought to justice, but it’s not going to undo what happened.
And we — we’re here for you, and we stand with you. And of course, as we always say — because it is true — our prayers are with you.
The President and I and our administration have put all of the resources and will continue to put all of the resources that the Mayor and the Chief and others need in terms of the federal assistance. So the FBI and the ATF are here.
There’s a lot of healing that’s going to have to happen that is both physical and emotional. There is no question that this experience is something that is going to linger in terms of the trauma. And so, I’d like to urge all the families and all the individuals to do seek the support that you so rightly deserve.
And — and we’ll deal with what we need to deal with in terms of also, as we move forward, all agreeing that we’ve got to be smarter as a country in terms of who has access to what and, in particular, assault weapons. And we got to take this stuff seriously, as seriously as you are — because you have been forced to have to take it seriously.
The whole nation should understand and have a level of empathy to understand that this can happen anywhere, in any peace-loving community. And we should stand together and speak out about why it’s got to stop.
Thank you.
Watch above via CBS 58.
