Dallas Morning News – by Todd J. Gillman
WASHINGTON — Rick Perry asserted Friday that President Obama succumbed to a “knee jerk” liberal impulse to use the massacre at a black church in Charleston to push a gun-control agenda.
Calling the attack that left nine worshipers dead an “accident,” the 2016 GOP presidential candidate and former Texas governor also suggested that misuse of therapeutic drugs to treat mental illness might have been a more significant factor than access to firearms.
Perry appeared on Steve Malzberg’s Newsmax TV program. Right Wing Watch, a group that monitors conservatives, reported on the appearance.
Blaming the attack on “evil and cowardice,” he called it premature to identify ways the attack might have been averted. 21-year-old Dylann Roof has reportedly confessed.
“This is the MO of this administration anytime there is an accident like this,” Perry said, asserting that since Obama “doesn’t like guns… he uses every opportunity” to push an anti-gun agenda.
Later, Perry spokesman Travis Considine said that “from the context of his comments, it is clear Governor Perry meant ‘incident.’ “
Although he referred to the attack as an “accident,” he later offered another description, saying, “This was a crime of hate, we know that.”
But he also seemed to downplay that motive.
“There were more people than that killed in Paris,” he said, comparing the Wednesday night massacre in Charleston, S.C., to the Charlie Hebdo attacks that left a dozen people dead.
A strong supporter of gun rights, Perry criticized Obama for “the knee-jerk reaction of saying if we can just take all the guns away, this won’t happen.” Treatment of those with mental illness, he said, is another, potentially more critical factor.
“These individuals have been medicated, and there may be a real issue in this country from the standpoint of these drugs and how they’re used… The Veterans Administration for instance is handing out these opioids in massive amounts. And then people question well why can’t these young individuals get work, or why is the suicide rate so high.”
This isn’t the first time Perry has depicted an event others deemed avoidable as something accidental. He blamed an “act of God” for the Deepwater Horizon spill, a well blowout that killed 11 workers and spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for three months.
“From time to time there are going to be things that occur that are acts of God that cannot be prevented,” he said.
” Although he referred to the attack as an “accident,” he later offered another description, saying, “This was a crime of hate, we know that.” ”
When did an ” accident ” become a premeditated act ? Sheesh, bullshit all the way around.
Accident my ass, just another staged event in a vain attempt to instill fear. Of course it was a crime of hate, for which Mr. Perry YOU are a party to . . .
“… “the knee-jerk reaction of saying if we can just take all the guns away, this won’t happen.” Treatment of those with mental illness, he said, is another, potentially more critical factor.”
You’re absolutely correct. It WON’T happen, which is exactly why YOU’RE going the route you are.
Much easier to classify whoever you want as mentally incompetent, and THEN steal their guns.
POS traitor.
Sadly amusing thing to me, is that those who would label the likes of us, are in fact themselves mentally ill. It’s obvious to the most casual of aware observers, by their very behavior and verbiage.
The fools are fooling ONLY lesser fools, which WE are definitely not !!!
The lesser fools are hopelessly (in some/too many cases) brainwashed by t.v. ‘programming’.
useless