'You are a pathetic person': NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch gets heat over Parkland suicides
Gun control advocates and the families of Parkland victims slammed Dana Loesch for her role in fighting gun reform after two survivors of the mass shooting died by suicide in one week. The NRA spokeswoman compared a CNN town hall with the families of Parkland survivors to the Salem witch trials last week.
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A gunman killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. CNN reported that a survivor of the shooting died by suicide a week ago after suffering from survivors’ guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder. A second survivor who was still enrolled at the high school died by suicide on Saturday.
As the Parkland community rallied together, people around the country tweeted at Loesch about her comments centered around the survivors who started a nationwide movement advocating for gun control. Fred Guttenberg, who became a vocal advocate for gun safety after his daughter Jaime died in the mass shooting, called Loesch “pathetic” and said she should be fired.
Tucker Carlson and NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch just called the Parkland families "demagogues," a "mob," and compared their CNN town hall to the Salem Witch Trials
cc: @davidhogg111 @Emma4Change @cameron_kasky @MattxRed pic.twitter.com/gD1qNEsfaS
— jordan (@JordanUhl) March 21, 2019
Dana, my amazing daughter Jaime was a victim of Parkland, you were not. You are a pathetic person. I am not a demagogue or part of a mob, I am a father who misses his daughter every second. The town hall was days after she was killed, we were in pain. You should be fired. https://t.co/WOT9kEuWwL
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) March 22, 2019
Says a woman whose response to tragedy is to use it to sell more guns to pay her @NRA salary. But do go on about needing God, sense and compassion… https://t.co/cGtHPhPdfL
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) March 25, 2019
Loesch responded to the criticism by telling gun control advocates to stop “appropriating” survivors’ pain.
“If your response to tragedy is to selfishly use it for callous Twitter jabs against people you dislike who had nothing to do with it, you need God in your life, sense in your head and compassion in your heart,” she wrote. “STOP appropriating their pain for your purpose.
And in a jab at abortion, she added that she isn’t complicit in children’s deaths because she doesn’t “work for Planned Parenthood.”
Nope, not at all. I don’t work for Planned Parenthood. Have a nice evening. https://t.co/CCSQFqYfpy
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 25, 2019
Someone help this poor soul find where I’ve sold guns to children. https://t.co/LsIejcNywL
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 25, 2019
If your response to tragedy is to selfishly use it for callous Twitter jabs against people you dislike who had nothing to do with it, you need God in your life, sense in your head, and compassion in your heart. STOP appropriating their pain for your purpose.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 24, 2019
What a grotesque statement. Also, grotesque is this grown man’s need to target my kids with his hatred. Praying for your hate-filled heart, Andrew. https://t.co/KB4dAmSdQw
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 25, 2019
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
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