The father of a Parkland school shooting victim has pleaded with President Trump for gun reforms following the Minneapolis shooting on Wednesday.
Manuel Oliver spoke out after a shooter stormed a church in the south side of Minneapolis earlier that day, killing two children and injuring 17, 14 of whom were children.
For Oliver, the scenes of Wednesday’s tragedy were all too familiar, after he lost his son, Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, when a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, and killed 17 people.
CNN journalists highlighted that the Minneapolis shooting was the 44th shooting to occur in the U.S. this year alone, and that there had been almost 400 school shooting incidents since Oliver’s son was killed seven years ago.
Asked whether the U.S. had learnt anything as a society since Joaquin died, his father stressed that no progress had been made.
“We haven’t, and even before that. Let me tell you, let me give you a number. Since Joaquin was shot four times with an AR-15, more than 350,000 people have been shot. And we do nothing or very little,” he said.
Since his son’s murder, Oliver has spent his time lobbying for gun reforms and raising awareness about mass shootings through his non-profit “Change the Ref.”
Despite countless mass shootings that have devastated the nation, policymakers have failed to enact strict gun reforms, and for children in the U.S., shooting “drills” have become the norm.
However, Oliver pleaded with the president, praising Trump’s ability “to do things” on his own accord, and demanded that he now prioritize desperately needed gun reforms.
“I have a message for the president,” he began, “You can make things happen. You can actually stop this from happening, and there is no political risk here because you’re still going to be the president for the next three years. So this is the time for us to change things,” he said.
“I think that President Trump can do this, and it’s coming from me,” Oliver doubled down.
Following Wednesday’s violence, several Democratic leaders in Minnesota renewed calls to address gun violence, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“It’s my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school, ever experiences a day like this,” said Walz. “Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, but also keep us in your thoughts for action. Keep us in the ideas that we can work together.”
Trump posted a statement on Wednesday that read: “I have been fully briefed on the tragic shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The FBI quickly responded and they are on the scene. The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!”
