There was probably a "pathway to violence" being shown by the 18-year-old shooter who killed 21 people in a Texas elementary school Tuesday, Rep. Brian Babin said on Newsmax Tuesday.
"I have seen the evidence and been reading everything I can get on it that he had probably given out many signals that he was on a pathway to violence," the Texas Republican said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "There's a long-established process created by the Secret Service and used by many other entities nationwide, and it's a process to deescalate those on this pathway to violence, and it's called behavioral threat assessment and management. This process works, and it's got to be a discussion."
The shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde has been identified as Salvador Ramos, 18, a resident of the community. He reportedly barricaded himself in a classroom, where he shot and killed 19 children and two adults before law enforcement killed him. Officials still have not released a motive but said he acted alone.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who said state police briefed him, said Ramos had hinted on social media that "the kids should watch out," and that he bought two "assault weapons" after he turned 18.
But Babin, when asked if Congress should reform the way social media identifies such red flags, said there is a "double standard" on social media.
"They can shut down President [Donald] Trump and yet the ayatollah from Iran gets to tweet," he said. "We've got total double standards."
Further, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, along with other Democrats have renewed the call for gun control, but "the United States of America has always had guns," said Babin.
"It's our history," he said. We were built on the Judeo-Christian foundation and with guns. This is what Americans have always had … it's awful strange that Democrats can ignore hundreds and hundreds of shootings and Chicago and New York and various places and then all of a sudden, they pick out something else that happens in a red state like Texas and then start calling for all that to disarm everyone."
Babin further blamed school shootings on societal changes that have come about in the nation's schools and in the country itself.
"We took prayer out of school decades ago, we had the Roe v. Wade abortion decision in 1973," said Babin. "The faith of America has really suffered several decades now, and we have to be a nation not only of laws but a nation of faith. Our founding father said this type of republic cannot survive unless you have people of faith."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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