Former Vice President Mike Pence called for the quick execution of mass shooters as a solution to gun violence at the National Rifle Association’s annual leadership summit in Indianapolis Friday.
“I’m tired of the senseless violence and loss of life that could be prevented if our leaders would support law enforcement, protect our schools, institutionalize the obviously mentally ill, and enact legislation that would ensure that anyone who engages in these heinous acts of mass violence meets their fate in months, not years,” Pence said.
Pence, speaking in his home state, was met with boos from the crowd once he appeared on stage. Pence said that Democrats need to address the “very real problems of violent crime and mental health that are costing thousands of American lives every year.”
“Ignoring the motivations of the trans activist who killed three children and three adults at that Christian school in Nashville, and the ‘mental health challenges’ of the man who killed five people and injured eight others in Louisville, President Biden and the Democrats have returned to the same tired arguments about gun control and confiscation,” Pence said.
The event marks the first time both Pence and former President Donald Trump have shared a stage since they left office. Trump is expected to speak at the forum later this afternoon. Trump seemed to be the main draw, with his photo centered on a poster board at the event and plenty of MAGA hats in the audience.
In the wake of the recent mass shootings, Pence said America doesn’t need gun control but crime control.
“We don’t need lectures about the liberties of law-abiding citizens. We need solutions to protect our kids,” Pence said. “So to Joe Biden and the gun control extremists, I say: Give up on your pipe dreams of gun confiscation, stop endangering our lives with gun bans, and stop trampling on our God-given rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution!”