As the heartbreaking tragedy of Covenant School in Nashville continues to unfold, it is deeply disturbing that some Democrats and the White House have used it to make a political issue. Representive Steve Cohen of Tennessee on Monday said there was “no hope” of working with Republicans who supported Second Amendment rights, implying they were dangerous for supporting the Second Amendment.
This is absolutely appalling and should be condemned. We should be praying for the victims and their families, not using this tragedy to push a political agenda. It’s sickening that Democrats like Cohen are using this tragedy to push their pro-gun control agenda.
The shooting has still left many questions unanswered. We know that the suspect was 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who identified as transgender and was armed with three guns, including a semi-automatic rifle. We know that she was shot dead by police. We know that the victims were three children aged nine or under at Covenant School and three adults.
What we don’t know is what drove this person to do this horrible act. Was it mental illness? Was it a result of a personal grudge? Was it religious extremism? We don’t know yet, and we won’t know until more information is released.
What we do know is that this tragedy is being used by some to push a political agenda. It’s not appropriate to do this while the victims are still being mourned. We need to be mourning the victims, not trying to score political points.
This tragedy should remind us all to be mindful of the dangers of guns and to take steps to ensure that guns are properly stored and not accessible to those who should not have them. We should also be mindful of the potential for mental illness and its connection to gun violence.
But it’s wrong to use this tragedy as a platform to push a political agenda. We should be focusing on the victims and the families who are mourning them. It’s time for everyone to come together and support the victims and their families, not use it as an opportunity to further a political agenda.