By The New York Times (U.S.) | Created at 2024-10-02 03:57:44 | Updated at 2024-10-03 02:43:12
22 hours ago
Gov. Tim Walz, mentioning his family’s exposure to gun violence, made the case for stricter gun control laws.
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Walz Says His Son Witnessed a Shooting at a Community Center
The story by Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota drew sympathy from his Republican opponent, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.
“I got a 17 year old and, and he witnessed a shooting at a community center playing volleyball. Those things don’t leave you. This is a good start to the conversation. I 100 percent believe that Senator Vance hates it when these kids — it’s abhorrent and it breaks your heart. I agree with that. But that’s not far enough.” “Tim first of all, I didn’t know that your 17 year old witnessed a shooting. And I’m sorry about that.” “I appreciate you saying that.” “Christ have mercy, it is awful.”
- Oct. 1, 2024Updated 11:53 p.m. ET
In one of the more personal moments of the vice-presidential debate, Gov. Tim Walz said his teenage son had witnessed a shooting at a recreation center near his high school while playing volleyball.
Mr. Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, made the statement at the debate on Tuesday while answering a question about gun violence, saying the episode affected him: “Those things don’t leave you.”
The Harris campaign said Mr. Walz was referring to a shooting in January of last year, when a 26-year-old employee of at the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center shot a teenager. The center is across the street from Central High School in St. Paul, where Mr. Walz’s son, Gus Walz, is a student and plays volleyball.
The story caught many by surprise, including Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Mr. Walz’s Republican opponent.
“Tim, first of all, I didn’t know that your 17-year-old witnessed a shooting,” Mr. Vance said. “And I’m sorry about that and I just want to say, Christ have mercy. It is — it is awful.”
The governor has mentioned the shooting in the past, including at a campaign event last month in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“My own son was in a location where someone was shot in the head,” Mr. Walz told the crowd in Grand Rapids. “Too many of us have this.”
