On Wednesday, 17 people were left dead as a result of mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Trump addressed the public with a 6 minute speech on Thursday saying:
“No child, no teacher, should ever be in danger in an American school. No parent should ever have to fear for their sons and daughters when they kiss them goodbye in the morning. Each person who was stolen from us yesterday had a full life ahead of them, a life filled with wondrous beauty and unlimited potential and promise. Each one had dreams to pursue, love to give and talents to share with the world. And each one had a family to whom they meant everything in the world. Today we mourn for all of those who lost their lives. We comfort the grieving and the wounded. And we hurt for the entire community of Parkland, Florida, that is now in shock and pain and searching for answers.”
Apart from offering the above sympathies, there were very few details on what could be done to try and put an end to mass shootings.
It was later revealed that the 19 year-old suspect had previously checked into mental health facilities and was expelled from the high school. This led trump to tweet:
Taking a deeper look, the president’s 2019 budget proposal has actually cut funding for many of the mental health resources available. While $8.6 billion would go towards the Department of Veterans Affairs and $1 million to the Children’s Mental Health Services program, there are severe slashes in other areas.
Spending for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration would be cut by $665 million and the National Institute of Mental Health would see half a billion-dollar decrease.
How are these mass shooters that are apparently have obvious mental health issues even before the tragedy takes place supposed to get help if the quality of these very mental health programs decreases in the coming years?
To add to this, the newly unveiled budget would cut millions from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. This is how gun dealers verify if someone is not allowed to buy a gun before they sell it to them. Instead of making gun control more effective and assisting in keeping them out of dangerous hands, he is taking essential funding away from them. While Trump strives for a safe and strong America, it seems that his actions are actually doing the opposite.
While the budget will be reviewed in Congress and come up with their own government spending levels, this whole issue can really show the miscommunication between the president’s words and his actions.
Something has to change and it has to change quickly.