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Donald Trump and the powerful U.S. gun lobby defended the right of "law-abiding citizens" to be armed following the intervention of Kaylub Giamanco, who took down the perpetrator of a massacre at an elementary school.
The President of the United States called an armed citizen a "great hero" after he shot and killed a 16-year-old on Thursday who had previously murdered four people (three children aged 5, 8, and 11, and a teacher) at a school in the town of Bend, Oregon.
"We had a great hero who stepped in and did what had to be done," Trump told reporters on Friday. He added: "It's a terrible thing, but thank God for a man who had a gun and knew how to use it."
Who is Kaylub Giamanco?
Kaylub Giamanco, whose two children attend the school, was returning home for his lunch break when he heard gunshots and saw the shooter, according to what his brother, Kyle, told NBC.
He added that Kaylub, who has a permit to carry firearms and was the one who shot the attacker, still could not process what had happened and felt guilty for not being able to save more people.
On Friday morning, the small town of Bend, in the Pacific Northwest, remained in shock over the tragedy.
The streets were empty in this area known for its natural landscapes, hiking trails, and ski slopes, which attract tens of thousands of visitors every year.
All schools remained closed.
"My grandson should be in class, with all his friends," 52-year-old Kristen Vanetsky told AFP. "Everyone should be there, learning, having fun, and looking forward to the weekend. But everything is empty. There is nothing. Not even the birds are here," she added.
- "Heroism of ordinary citizens" -
"The terrible act of violence in Oregon is a new reminder of the importance of having law-abiding armed citizens," the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful gun lobby, had previously stated in a press release.
"When the attack began, a resident intervened with a firearm to stop the shooter before he could cause further harm," the organization noted, calling it a "display of the heroism of ordinary citizens."
"The NRA wants people to focus on how the event ended, but it would be better to focus on how it began: a system that allowed a firearm to fall into the hands of a 16-year-old," the March For Our Lives movement, which emerged after a 2018 high school massacre in Florida, reacted on X.
"The gun violence crisis is killing our children. Enough is enough," declared the Giffords association, which advocates for stricter gun control, on X.
The United States has more firearms in circulation than inhabitants.
The Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, will debate in December the right of states and local authorities to ban—due to their dangerous nature—the possession of certain semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15, one of the most popular weapons in the country.
[Publicidad]