“School Shootings Are a ‘Fact of Life,’ Says J.D. Vance, Sparking Outrage on Social Media
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Senator J.D. Vance, running mate to Donald Trump, faced intense backlash after comments he made about school shootings being a “fact of life.” Speaking at a rally in Phoenix on Thursday, Vance addressed the tragic reality of school shootings, drawing widespread criticism online.
“If these psychos are going to go after our kids, we’ve got to be prepared for it,” Vance told supporters, according to the Associated Press. “We don’t have to like the reality that we live in, but it is the reality we live in. We’ve got to deal with it.”
When asked by a journalist what could prevent school shootings, Vance dismissed the idea that stricter gun laws would be effective and instead praised Congressional efforts to enhance school security. “I don’t like that this is a fact of life,” Vance said. “But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we’ve got to bolster security so if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of children, they’re not able.”
Vance’s remarks followed a deadly shooting at a Georgia high school on Wednesday, where a 14-year-old gunman killed two classmates and two teachers, leaving nine others injured. Both the shooter and his father are facing murder charges.
The senator’s comments were met with swift outrage on social media. Journalist Molly Jong-Fast took to X (formerly Twitter), writing, “School shootings are a fact of American life, they are not a fact of British life or French life or Canadian life or Norwegian life …. School shootings are not a fact of Australian life, New Zealand life, or Irish life.”
Political figures also joined the fray. Democratic strategist Joe Trippi quipped, “So maybe Trump doesn’t regret picking JD after all,” while Politico’s California bureau chief Christopher Cadelago predicted, “Get ready to hear this quote repeated, again and again.”
Others were even more direct. Podcaster Reed Galen criticized Vance, calling him “a slug in a human suit,” and Dr. Annie Andrews, CEO and founder of Their Future PAC, bluntly tweeted, “I mean this with every ounce of respect that you deserve, @JDVance, F— ALL THE WAY OFF.”
Betsey Stevenson, former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, rejected Vance’s assertion outright. “They are not a fact of life. They do not happen in any other country but the United States,” she said. “If they are a ‘fact of life’ for J.D. Vance, that tells you everything you need to know about what he really thinks about supporting kids and families.”
