Steve Kerr again pleads for change days after horrific Uvalde school shooting
Steve Kerr isn’t letting this one go.
The outspoken Golden State Warriors coach again addressed the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Wednesday night ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Just over one week after the shooting in Uvalde, Warriors coach Steve Kerr on NBA Today: “Murdering children in their classroom has become a political issue. What are we doing? So let’s put pressure on the people that are making these decisions to act on our best interests..” pic.twitter.com/Jz2BVy5AbH
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) June 1, 2022
“We have to put pressure on the people who are making these decisions because they are not making decisions that the vast majority of us want, regardless of political party, and that’s the key,” Kerr said on ESPN.
“Somehow, this has become a political issue. Murdering children in their classrooms has become a political issue. What are we doing? So let’s put pressure on the people that are making these decisions to act in our best interests. If we’re a democracy, then let’s make it happen.”
An 18-year-old man shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last month in the deadliest school shooting in the United States since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012. That shooting came 10 days after the massacre at a Buffalo grocery store in which 10 people were shot to death.
Kerr’s comments Wednesday came hours before several other shootings in the United States, including one that killed at least four people at a Tulsa, Oklahoma, hospital, per The New York Times.
Since the Buffalo shooting on May 14, there have been 37 mass shootings in the country, according to the Gun Violence Archive. That’s an average of 2.056 mass shootings per day.
Kerr erupted in an emotional speech hours after the shooting before Game 4 of their Western Conference finals series against the Dallas Mavericks. Kerr, who has long been an advocate for gun control laws, was screaming while addressing reporters.
“When are we going to do something? I’m tired,” Kerr yelled. “I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there. I’m so tired. Excuse me. I’m sorry. I’m tired of the moments of silence. Enough.”
Kerr and the Warriors will host the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night at the Chase Center. Though his focus will be on winning a fourth NBA title, he’s sure to keep advocating for gun control throughout the series.
And, as he’s not alone, Kerr knows he’ll win this fight at some point.
“If we truly are a democracy, then we are not being represented right now by the people in Washington,” Kerr said on ESPN. “Because if so many of us want sensible gun laws to protect our children, to protect all of us and they’re not happening, you have to ask why. At some point, the will of the people has to win out.”