A recent shooting at a high school graduation ceremony has many asking, “How could this have been prevented?”
High school graduations are usually a time of celebration, when young people move on to the next stage of their life. But for one ceremony in northern California, it became more of a nightmare, one that Gun Owners of America spokesman Stephen Willeford can easily recognize.
On Thursday morning, an “active shooter” event took place during the Fairfield High School graduation ceremonies, with a man running up and shooting into the crowd. This immediately sent people into a panic, as the shooter was able to injure four people, including one – an 18-year old student – dying from their injuries.
Police are working on updates over the situation, and, at this moment, the suspect is currently at large.
But it leaves many wondering how the situation could’ve been diffused. While there was ample security on-scene at the graduation ceremony, it wasn’t enough to stop one lone figure from coming through and opening fire.
There is the question of whether someone with an open-carry or Constitutional-Carry license could’ve fought back. However, at the present time, California has some of the strictest gun safety laws of any given state. While there is a process to obtain a concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit, it’s probably one of the lengthiest out there, compared to other states allowing both open and Constitutional-Carry.
Is a change needed to avoid future “active shooter” events like this – especially ones that can affect young children, like the 18-year old who was killed?
Willeford, the 2017 “hero with a gun” from the Sutherland Springs event, serves as the spokesman for the Gun Owners of America. He joins us now to discuss this situation further.
Q&A:
- What are your thoughts on the “active shooter” event that took place at this graduation ceremony in California?
- Could it have been prevented? Could the event have used more security or, for that matter, someone that practices Open-Carry or Constitutional-Carry?
- California seems to have the most restrictive gun laws put in place for any state within the United States. Why has Gavin Newsom chosen to take this route?
- Do these strict gun laws – including bans of assault weapons – have any effect on the violence within the state?
- Is it time for California to be a little more lenient on open-carry and Constitutional-Carry rules, especially given this deadly situation?
- You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- Where can people find your book?
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com.
CONTACT: Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983 or by email Jerry McGlothlin at bookings@specialguests.com.
