In the wake of the recent shooting in Nashville, TN, former President Barack Obama tried to use the incident to blame guns by making a sweeping statement about deaths of children in America. But he was fact-checked quickly and reminded of some more by conservatives and libertarians.
Obama’s Claim on Deaths of Children
The shooting at a Christian school in Nashville killed 6 people including 3 nine-year-old children. The killer was a transgender, a 28-year-old man identifying as a woman and named Audrey Hale. But instead of blaming the mental health issues of the transgender shooter for the deaths of children, Obama took to Twitter to repeat the cliched liberal claim of guns killing people. He tweeted:
“We are failing our children. Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.”
We are failing our children. Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.
Michelle and I mourn with the students and families of the Covenant School today. pic.twitter.com/8X9qKKzB9d
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 27, 2023
Dose of Reality by Twitter Users
Many comments followed on Obama’s post, correcting him over his claim and reminding him of some of the horrors that happened in his presidency.
Bill Speros, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and sports editor, posted CDC statistics to remind Obama that gun violence was not the number one cause of deaths of children in America.
Not according to the CDC
1 to 4 years
5 to 9 years
10 to 14 yearsMost recent data https://t.co/uX40ZCaJ7N pic.twitter.com/3O1OewSxnb
— Bill Speros (@billsperos) March 27, 2023
Another comment called Obama’s post “very misleading” as the Biden’s White House used ages 1 to 24 to count children’s deaths while legally a child is under 18 years of age.
https://twitter.com/keepitwilder/status/1640535663970746371
Michael White, a Libertarian candidate for US Congress, questioned the CDC data too, pointing out that it included 18 and 19 year olds among children.
18 and 19 year olds aren't children, yet included in the CDC statistic you use as your talking point. If they are children, why can they sign contracts? Join the military? Redo this "statistic" without including this age group and you'll find your statement is incorrect.
— Michael White For US Congress (@MW4Liberty) March 28, 2023
Some reminded Obama of his atrocities against children and called him out for daring to lecture others with such a record. One comment snapped at Obama:
“You murdered a 16 year old American Boy with a drone strike at a public cafe and you lecture us?”
You murdered a 16 year old American Boy with a drone strike at a public cafe and you lecture us?
— Mel Scharf (@scharfmel) March 28, 2023
The comment was referring to the killing of 16-year-old Abdulrahman Al-Aulaqi, an American citizen, who along with a number of others was killed at a cafe in Yemen in a drone bombing ordered by Obama in 2011. The incident was widely condemned and the Amnesty International called it illegal.