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Tim Walz is facing backlash after saying he had “become friends with school shooters” during the vice presidential debate.
The father of a 2018 Parkland shooting victim was among those who called out the Democrat, branding the apparent gaffe “absolutely abhorrent” in a post on X.
The comment came when the vice presidential nominee was asked on Tuesday night about his shift in stance on an assault weapons ban. His reply, which appeared to be a slip-up, stunned viewers and resulted in a now-viral clip on social media.
When CBS News moderator Norah O’Donell asked why his position changed over the years from opposing a ban on assault weapons to supporting it, Walz replied: “I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I’ve become friends with school shooters.”
“I was the NRA guy for a long time,” he continued, without correcting himself. “They used to teach gun safety. I’m of an age where my shotgun was in my car so I could pheasant hunt after football practice. That’s not where we live today.”
Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow — one of 17 people fatally shot in the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting — reacted to the clip: “My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. It’s absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz has befriended school shooters. Disqualifying.”
Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk also chimed in: “Mind-blowing that Tim Walz said he was ‘friends with school shooters.’” Musk added a clown emoji at the end of his tweet, which has been viewed around 2 million times already.
However, co-founder of Moms Demand Action Shannon Watts tried to set Walz’s record straight.
“I’ve had the honor of knowing Gov Tim Walz for years and have had a front row seat to his compassion and courage on the issue of gun safety. He didn’t just listen to the @MomsDemand volunteers he met with—he kept his commitment to make Minnesota safer,” she wrote on X.
Watts also pointed out his op-ed in the Minneapolis Star Tribune shortly after the Parkland shooting, in which he called the NRA “the biggest single obstacle to passing the most basic measures to prevent gun violence in America.”
“As governor, Walz did what others said was impossible—he passed commonsense gun laws despite a slim gun safety majority thanks to his integrity, commitment and incredible leadership,” Watts continued. “Countless lives have been saved in Minnesota, and I know he’ll do the same as vice-president.”
And Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was also tragically killed in the Parkland shooting, offered support for Walz, underscoring that his comment was clearly a gaffe.
He wrote on X: “Does anyone affiliated with Trump have the ability for truth? The @TrumpWarRoom knows @Tim_Walz misspoke & meant he became friends with families affected by school shooters, people like me. If this level of distortion is all they have from last night, then Tim kicked JD’s a**.”
The Independent has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.
Both Harris and Walz are gun owners and have been trying to add nuance to the Democratic ticket’s response to the gun violence epidemic. Both have emphasized that Democrats are trying to take away Americans’ Second Amendment rights but are focused on finding a solution to the gun violence crisis.
