Politicians React to Deadly Mass Shooting at Georgia High School

As more details are released about a Georgia high school mass shooting that left four dead and at least nine injured on Wednesday, politicians across the country have issued statements expressing their grief and condemning the persistent American problem of gun violence.

The shooting occurred at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 45 miles outside Atlanta. One suspect has since been taken into custody.

White House

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the shooting first thing at a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon: “This week, kids across the country are heading back to school for the new school year. Today is supposed to be an exciting day for students and parents, but instead we’re seeing yet another horrific shooting.”

She added that the administration's “hearts are with the families in Winder” and that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both been briefed and will continue to work with state and local law enforcement officials.

President Joe Biden said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon: “We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”

“Jill and I are mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short due to more senseless gun violence and thinking of all of the survivors whose lives are forever changed,” Biden said.

He also called for bipartisan “common-sense gun safety legislation,” saying: “We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks, and end immunity for gun manufacturers.”

Presidential candidates

Harris, the Democratic nominee for President, spoke on the shooting at a campaign event in New Hampshire saying: “This is just a senseless tragedy on top of so many senseless tragedies. … We have to end this epidemic of gun violence in our country once and for all. You know it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Harris’ running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz addressed the shooting at a meeting in Pennsylvania. “This is tragic. We don’t know any of the details on it yet, but it’s a situation that’s all too common, and our hearts are out there right now,” he said. “Our work needs to [be] to prevent these in the future.”

Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump reacted to the shooting on his social media site, Truth Social, Wednesday afternoon: “Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” he wrote. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”

Trump’s running mate Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance also appeared to respond to the shooting in a post on X. “Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this despicable violence just days into the new school year,” Vance wrote. “We are keeping the victims, their families, and the whole community of Winder, Georgia in our prayers this evening.”

In a rally in Phoenix on Thursday, Vance criticized Harris’ proposed solutions to school shootings, and he said that restricting gun access would not end the problem. “I don’t like that this is a fact of life,” Vance said. “But if you are a psycho and you want to make headlines, you realize that our schools are soft targets. And we have got to bolster security at our schools … so if a psycho wants to walk through the front door and kill a bunch of children, they’re not able to.”

Georgia politicians

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) said in a statement on X that he and his family are “heartbroken” over the shooting. “This is a day every parent dreads, and Georgians everywhere will hug their children tighter this evening because of this painful event.” Kemp earlier ordered all state resources to respond to the incident.

Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), who has become a vocal advocate against gun violence after she lost her son to it in 2012 and has advocated against it, said on X that she is praying for the school students and the Winder community as well as families across the country. “Too many continue to experience the pain of gun violence. No family should have to go through this,” she wrote.

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), who represents the district where Apalachee High School is located, said that he is “praying for the victims, their families, and all students,” in a statement on X.

Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D-Ga.) wrote in a lengthy thread on X that “we can’t pray only with our lips—we must pray by taking action,” and he said that without bipartisan action, “it’s only a matter of time before this kind of tragedy comes knocking on your door.”

“We don’t have to live this way,” he wrote.

Others

Condolences also came from outside the state. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said on X that he was “heartbroken that the start of a school year has already been marred by senseless violence. My thoughts are with all those mourning the loss of innocent life in Georgia, and with all students who fear the terrible violence that mass shootings have brought to our schools.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), the only Gen Z member of Congress, also spoke out on X regarding the shooting: “Not even a month into the new school year and we're seeing kids running for their lives from classrooms that were supposed to be safe spaces,” he said. “It's time to stop putting guns over children—our communities deserve to live free from this senseless violence.” Frost once served as national organizing director of March for Our Lives, a gun violence activism group born out of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), an outspoken anti-gun violence advocate especially in the years since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in his state, posted on X a brief reaction to Wednesday’s shooting in Georgia: “Our hearts are breaking. Again.”

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.), a victim of a 2011 shooting who has since become an advocate for gun control, also said that she was “heartbroken and angry” after the Winder incident. “This isn’t freedom—freedom is knowing your kids can live safe from gun violence,” Giffords said, repeating a theme of Harris’ presidential campaign. “For too long our leaders have put gun industry profits over our children’s safety. It must end.”