“‘You know, it’s just a myth. It’s a joke.’”
That was head coach of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich talking about U.S. elected officials who use the Second amendment as cover to not enact stricter gun control measures.
“But they’re going to cloak all this stuff [in] the myth of the Second Amendment, the freedom,” Popovich said during his pregame media availability during the Spurs’ final game of the season. “You know, it’s just a myth. It’s a joke. It’s just a game they play. I mean, that’s freedom. Is it freedom for kids to go to school and try to socialize and try to learn and be scared to death that they might die that day?”
Popovich, 74, has been an outspoken critic of several politicians in the U.S., most notably Donald Trump, over the past decade for not being tougher on gun control measures. The Second Amendment says: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Popovich discussed various forms of gun control for roughly nine minutes before the Spurs’ final game, and specifically called out the situation in Tennessee that occurred last week where Reps Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were expelled from the state legislature.
The two Black Democratic lawmakers were expelled in retaliation for their role in the protest the week before, which unfolded in the aftermath of a school shooting in Nashville that killed six people, including three young students and three adults working at the school. The shooter was killed by police.
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Popovich is also an advocate for other social issues, and routinely advocates for causes like Black Lives Matter.
The Spurs play in Texas, a state that has the most gun licenses of any state in the country, according to a study by the RAND Corporation. That fact has not stopped the coach from advocating for strict gun control measures, and taking shots at Texas elected officials.
“But Ted Cruz will fix it because he is going to double the number of cops in the schools. That’s what he wants to do. Well, that’ll create a great environment,” Popovich said. “Is that freedom? Or is it freedom to have a congressman who can make a postcard with all his family holding rifles, including an AR-15 or whatever. Is that cool? Is that like street cred for a Republican? That’s freedom? That’s more important than protecting kids? I don’t get it.”
Popovich added that members of both parties need to develop a better plan on the issues of gun violence.
“You know, these people, they think we’re stupid — Republican and Democratic alike. But they might be right because they get away with that crap. They tell us things about prayers and, you know, their offices are monitoring this stuff, like I said. Get away from me. Stop all the bulls—. Stop talking down to us. We’re not stupid, but they will do it to keep their jobs,” he added.
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Since his comments, another shooting took place in Louisville, Ky. where police say five people were killed, six others were brought to a hospital, and the suspected shooter is dead.
Last Summer, President Joe Biden and Congress passed the most sweeping gun violence bill in decades after a string of mass shootings, including the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.
This post was originally published on Market Watch
