The inaction on gun control following mass shootings proves one thing: money runs everything. While the NRA always comes under criticism for campaign donations to politicians, the paper trail doesn't end there. Politicians, including President Trump,...
The inaction on gun control following mass shootings proves one thing: money runs everything. While the NRA always comes under criticism for campaign donations to politicians, the paper trail doesn't end there. Politicians, including President Trump, have suggested arming teachers and increasing school security, an industry now worth over $2 billion. In addition, parents have bulletproof products like backpacks marketed to them online. After the shooting in Parkland, Florida that left 17 people dead, one company reported that sales of bulletproof backpacks shot up by 30 percent.
Jennifer Hoppe, the deputy director of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, spoke to Salon's Alyona Minkovski on "Salon Now" about what it's like being a parent faced to consider bulletproof school gear. "It's disgusting to think that that is something that's being created and marketed in the US," Hoppe said. "And it's equally disgusting that the reason that's able to proliferate is because we have elected leaders who will not actually take action that will keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them in the first place."