Vice President Kamala Harris has been accused by a grieving father of using his slain child to push the Biden administration’s gun control agenda.
And it’s not the first time the administration has done this.
Most of us remember Feb. 14, 2018, when 14 students and three staff members were killed by a crazed gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The tragedy devastated the community, the country and, most importantly, the parents who lost children that horrific day.
But for Democrats, the pain of these families is just an opportunity to push gun control.
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On Saturday, Harris toured Marjory Stoneman Douglas, according to The Associated Press.
Following the tour, Harris announced a new $750 million federal grant program to assist the 21 states, including Florida, that have “red flag” laws allowing authorities to temporarily seize guns from people deemed dangerous by a judge.
“Part of why I’m here is to challenge every state: Pass a red flag law,” Harris said, according to Fox News.
One of the Parkland parents, Ryan Petty, wasn’t happy with Harris’ visit.
“The vice president and the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention made it very clear to the families early on that nothing short of new gun control was going to satisfy them with regards to protecting our nation’s schools,” Petty told Fox.
“And that is just a slap in the face to those of us that have worked for six years now to try to protect our nation’s schools.”
Harris also posted a picture of herself on X looking at a memorial to the Parkland victims, writing, “The memory of what happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas will never be erased. Inspired by the community’s courage, let us find it within ourselves to do more.
“We know what works: Universal background checks. Red flag laws. An assault weapons ban. Now, legislators must act.”
Petty shared the post with the caption, “Stop using my daughter for your photo op!”
Stop using my daughter for your photo op! https://t.co/pgFHJHau3G
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) March 25, 2024
This was not the first time the Biden administration had used Petty’s child as a prop.
Last year, Biden marked the five-year anniversary of the Parkland shooting by pushing a ban on “assault weapons,” prompting Petty to slam him on X.
“Don’t use my daughter’s death to advance your political agenda,” he wrote.
“Because of your politicized FBI, failed Obama era school discipline policies and a Sheriff that cared more about his image in the community than enforcing the law, a maniac was allowed to attack a school. Try learning what really happened.”
Don’t use my daughter’s death to advance your political agenda. Because of your politicized FBI, failed Obama era school discipline policies and a Sheriff that cared more about his image in the community than enforcing the law, a maniac was allowed to attack a school. Try… https://t.co/T0apFlLEnM
— Ryan Petty (@rpetty) February 14, 2023
Back in 2021, Petty made the same request — that his daughter, Alaina, not be used as a political tool.
“Mr. President, thank you for remembering the loved ones taken from us 3 years ago,” Petty posted on the anniversary of the shooting.
“Alaina loved this country and the freedoms it guarantees. Common sense tells us that honoring her life does not require infringement on the rights of law-abiding citizens.”
It takes a certain kind of heartlessness to continuously dig into an open wound after being asked again and again to leave it alone.
No one can understand Petty’s grief unless one has gone through what he has gone through. Harris’ willingness to slap him in the face to push an agenda takes callousness to a whole new level.
