Republican presidential candidate and neurosurgeon Ben Carson has been under serious fire regarding his controversial commentary on the recent Oregon campus massacre.
The New York Times released a story on him this past Tuesday with his statement: “I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away.†He also adds in the article that he would have fought back against the shooter, claiming, “I would not just stand there and let him shoot me.â€
Of course, the Second Amendment means a lot to numerous people across the nation. But what about the value of human life? Is he implying that our safety comes second to the right to bear arms?
I believe people can still manage to keep their guns while keeping them safely regulated. Carson even mentioned that, if he were president, he would probably skip a trip to Oregon. To downplay this tragedy that has struck our nation yet again because of the lack of gun control is an insult to the grieving families and fellow Americans who lost nine beautiful souls last week in the shooting.
Carson’s statement on this issue will ultimately reflect in the campaign polls, as well as his previous statement in September that he “would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,†according to CNN.com. He responded in an interview question with Jake Tapper, “I’m assuming that if you accept all the tenets of Islam that you would have a very difficult time abiding under the Constitution of the United States.â€
Naturally, we cannot predict the fate or results of the presidential 2016 election just yet, but we can wait and see how candidates’ choices unfold for their campaigns. With our expanding and ever-growing population— consisting of different languages, nationalities, and genders— the campaign circus and search for more support is only just getting started, with candidates such a Carson still trying to grab a foothold in the race. Therefore, I believe the statements that he has made so far are an example of his attempt at gaining more attention.
Yet rather than singling out groups of people or neglecting the gravity of another school massacre, shouldn’t we be focusing on what really matters? We should put petty campaigning matters aside before we lose sight of what issues are really important. Focusing on the equality and safety of our citizens should be the priority, rather than self-promotion and politicizing preventable tragedies to benefit a candidate’s political agenda.