This weekend, NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch responded to the recent mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas that left at least 10 people dead and 10 others wounded by blaming “the media” for oversaturated coverage of such events, thereby creating “more of these monsters.”
Sunday morning the NRA’s incoming president Oliver North had the chance to chime in with his take on the subject and used the opportunity to place the blame on other factors as well. After being prompted by Fox News host Chris Wallace on how he would address students who fearfully expect the probability of a shooting at their own schools, North agreed that this shouldn’t be the case.
“They shouldn't have to. They shouldn't be afraid to go to school,” he noted. “They shouldn't worry about the fact that they might not go home that night because some crazed person comes in with a firearm.”
In offering a solution to the problem though, North took a turn when he declared that medication was a factor that was leading to such rampages at schools across the country, specifically referring to the use of Ritalin, a drug typically used to treat ADHD disorder in younger children.
"The problem that we got is we are trying like the Dickens to treat the symptom without treating the disease, and the disease in this case isn't the Second Amendment,” he said. “They have been drugged in many cases. Nearly all of these perpetrators are male, and they are young teenagers in most cases."
There have not been any indications as to whether or not the 17-year old shooter in Santa Fe suffered from ADHD or had Ritalin or any other drug in his system at the time of the shooting, however North did go on to pair his theory with the idea that violence in popular culture has also contributed to the problem.
“They have come through a culture where violence is commonplace. All you need to do is turn on the TV, go to a movie," added North. "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."
North’s charge is an interesting stance, however, considering the fact that he, a former Marine, has appeared in ads for “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” and even worked as a consultant for the game.
Oliver North's run as the newest president of the NRA is set to take effect within the coming weeks.