--- description: Former Sen. Rick Santorum said on CNN that teenage anti-gun protesters should learn CPR instead of protesting or trying to pass laws. title: Rick Santorum: Teen Gun Protesters Should Learn CPR Instead image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3811a8bb3518b78f/69892be7929fad6d24bf013e/rick-santorum.jpeg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Gun Control](/tag/gun-control/) ## Gun Control Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Former Sen. Rick Santorum Said Kids Should Be Learning CPR Instead of Protesting Gun Violence  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Mar 25, 2018 5:13 PM CUT  Former Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a news conference on health care on September 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. Former Sen. Rick Santorum speaks during a news conference on health care on September 13, 2017 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Mar 25, 2018 5:13 PM CUT A day after [massive gun control protests swept the country](http://time.com/5214706/march-for-our-lives-us-photos/ "undefined"), former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said teenage activists should prepare for potential shootings by taking CPR classes, instead of advocating for “phony gun laws.” The former presidential candidate and current CNN commentator [suggested on the network’s _State of the Union_ show](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/25/politics/rick-santorum-guns-cnntv/index.html "undefined") that high school students, not lawmakers, should be proactive when it comes to ending gun violence. “How about kids, instead of looking to someone else to solve their problem, do something about maybe taking CPR classes or trying to deal with situations where there is a violent shooter?” Santorum said. Santorum added that while he’s “proud” of the [teenage activists](http://time.com/longform/never-again-movement/ "undefined") who organized Saturday’s protests, their energy would be better spent tackling the problem at the individual level. “They didn’t take action to say, ‘How would I, as an individual, deal with this problem? How am I going to do something about stopping bullying within my own community? What am I going to do to actually help respond to a shooter?'” Santorum said. “Those are the kinds of things where you can take it internally and say, ‘Here’s how I’m going to deal with this, here’s how I’m going to help the situation,’ instead of going and protesting and saying, ‘Oh, someone else needs to pass a law.'” Santorum also added that “phony gun laws don’t solve the problem.” Backlash to the politician’s statements was swift and firm, with some online commenters noting that CPR likely would not be used to treat a gunshot wound anyway. > [](https://twitter.com/eugenegu/status/977935213522173953) > [](https://twitter.com/JasonKander/status/977933497380823040) > [](https://twitter.com/thistallawkgirl/status/977938716319797248) > [](https://twitter.com/blazingxmexican/status/977944862283763712) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5214844/rick-santorum-cpr-gun-protests/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5214844/rick-santorum-cpr-gun-protests/"},"headline":"Former Sen. 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