In the wake of Tuesday’s mass shooting at a High School graduation celebration, Republican Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earl-Sears took aim at those advocating soft-on-crime policies.
In a fiery monologue to a WTVR CBS-6, Richmond, Virginia reporter, the Marine Corps veteran argued that those in positions of authority bear responsibility for the rise in crime and senseless violence.
Tuesday’s shooting occurred during the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony. The assailant was Amari Pollard, 19. The shooting left five wounded and two dead—Graduate Shawn Jackson, 18, and his father, Lorenzo Smith, 36
Rather than using the mass shooting event to blame gun manufacturers for stricter gun laws (a tactic commonly used by Progressive leaders), Earle-Sears called for higher accountability for government leaders who do not do enough to deter crime.
Speaking of the recent shooting, Earle-Sears said:
“This is not about law-abiding gun owners, this is about gangs, this is about — even if you took all the guns off the street from the law-abiding citizens, the others who mean harm, who mean to kill and [cause] mayhem, they’re going to have the guns.”
“Indeed, this appears to be the most common logical fallacy in the left’s quest to rid the United States of guns. Evil, twisted people are not going to let something like ‘the law’ impede their plans.”
“Disarming law-abiding citizens is the opposite of what you should do in the midst of surging crime across the nation.”
Earle-Sears stressed that identifying root factors for criminal activity is a requisite to arrive at the “right solutions.”
Earle-Sears said: “There are gang activities. There are criminal activities that are happening. And when are we going to weed them out? When are we going to start putting the people who commit these crimes in jail? If we don’t lock them up, then we release them back into the community so that they can just, what, keep killing?
“When do we say enough is enough? When do we say that? How many more people have to die before we say, ‘You’re going to jail. We’re going to lock you up. And there’s not going to be any bail,’ so that we can have safety in our communities.
“When does that happen? Who is in charge? Is that the mayor? Is that the chief? Who is that? I mean, let’s start naming names.
“Because otherwise, if no one is accountable, and if all we do is come in front of a camera, or several cameras, and keep talking about, ‘Well this shouldn’t happen and that shouldn’t happen,’ then, well, ‘You’re the one in charge. You’re the one responsible.’”
