Oliver North, the incoming president of the National Rifle Association, said Sunday that school shootings are only “a symptom” of broader problems including violence in media and prescription drugs.
“The disease in this case isn’t the Second Amendment,” North said on “Fox News Sunday.” “The disease is youngsters who are steeped in a culture of violence. They have been drugged in many cases.”
“Nearly all of these perpetrators are male and they are young teenagers in most cases,” he continued. “And they have come through a culture where violence is commonplace. All you need to do is turn on the TV, go to the movies. If you look at what has happened to the young people, many of these young boys have been on Ritalin since they were in kindergarten.”
He added: “I am certainly not a doctor, I’m a marine, but I can see those kinds of things happening and endangering those two girls and their siblings.”
North spoke following the fatal shooting of 10 people at a Santa Fe, Texas, high school on Friday. Suspected shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, was a student.
Although there reportedly were two armed officers on the school grounds, North suggested that metal detectors may also be needed to “harden” school buildings.
“If you want to stop the carnage, you aren’t going to fix it by taking away the rights of law-abiding citizens. You have got to fix it in a way that hardens the place sufficient that the kids are safe inside the door. If that means metal detectors, you get five metal detectors,” he said.
North, a former Fox News commentator known for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal, said under his leadership of the NRA, “My goal is a million more members,” up from 6 million now.
