On average, 32,514 Americans die from gun violence every year. With shocking numbers like these, you’d think in a debate supposedly focused on keeping Americans safe we’d hear at least some discussion on gun violence – not when it comes to today’s Republican Party.
In fact, in Tuesday’s GOP debate guns were mentioned just once. Instead of having a substantive debate on how to keep Americans safe, Republicans again turned to fearmongering and discriminatory rhetoric.
The media agrees. The GOP’s silence on gun violence was “appalling.”
Vox: In a debate about “keeping America safe,” Republicans mentioned guns just once
“In a two-plus hour Republican presidential debate focused on ‘keeping America safe,’ candidates mentioned guns just once…”
New York Times: Editorial: An Appalling Silence on Gun Control
“It was remarkable that the Republican presidential candidates’ debate this week, supposedly focused on keeping Americans safe, was devoid of questions and comments about the public health issue of gun violence.”
Huffington Post: The Republican Presidential Candidates Debate Terrorism, But Completely Ignore Gun Control
“Yet not once did the Republican presidential candidates address the issue of gun control in Tuesday’s GOP debate, a debate focused on keeping Americans safe. Not once did they address the fact that here in the United States we have more mass shootings than days of the year.”