Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance says a solution to school shootings is to increase security.
Asked whether parents should be held responsible for children who commit mass shootings, Vance said this was something he would like to see.
“The answer is going to be yes, and in some cases, the answer will be no. The details matter. For example, if a kid steals a gun, that’s going to be different than if a parent hands over a gun, knowing that their kid is potentially dangerous,” he said.
Gun control has come up as the next topic during the vice-presidential debate.Credit: AP
“What do we do about the schools? What do we do to protect our kids? I say this not loving the answer. Because I don’t want my kids to go to school … that feels unsafe or where there are visible signs of security.
“But I feel that we have to increase security in our schools. We have to make the doors lock better. We have to make the doors stronger.
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“We have to make the windows stronger and of course, we’ve got to increase school resource officers, because the idea that we can magically wave a wand and take guns out of the hands of bad guys, it doesn’t fit with recent experience.”
Walz begins his answer by saying his 17-year-old child witnessed a shooting at a community centre and “those things do not leave you”.
“We need to figure this out. In Minnesota, we have enacted enhanced red-flag laws and background checks and we can start to get data,” he said.
“We have folks who will not allow research to even be done on gun laws and the idea that we should just live with that [is wrong].”
Walz also points out that he and Harris are both gun owners, saying they have to look at the experience of other countries to find solutions. (Note: Harris has previously praised Australia on this).
“I ask all of you out there: do you want your schools hardened to look like a fort?” Walz asks before adding: “I think there’s a capacity to find solutions on this that work. Protect the Second Amendment; protect our children. That’s our priority.”