President Trump Blames Mental Health for Florida School Shooting – Guns Not Mentioned

“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed,” tweets Trump

President Donald Trump offered some solemn remarks Thursday addressing the mass shooting at a Florida high school which left at least 17 dead. Trump laid the blame on the mental health of the shooter and declined to mention the issues of gun violence or gun control.

“We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools and tackle the difficult issue of mental health,” said Trump. “Later this month, I will be meeting with the nation’s governors and attorney generals, where making our schools and our children safer will be our top priority.”

It was a theme Trump first articulated on Thursday morning in a tweet, which he also seemed to place blame for the shooting on the shooter’s classmates and acquaintances for not reporting him earlier.

“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” said Trump. “Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”

On Wednesday afternoon, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz allegedly walked into his former Florida high school in Parkland, Florida and gunned down multiple people, killing at least 17, with an AR-15. The tragedy mirrors many similar instances that have rocked the United States in recent years.

Some media companies, like NPR, also pounced, noting that one of President Trump’s only gun-related decisions had been to undo an executive order from President Obama making it harder for the mentally ill to purchase weapons. The Obama-era rule was quietly revoked last year in a signing ceremony that was closed to the media.

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