DENVER – President Donald Trump’s reaction about the tragic Pittsburgh shooting in a synagogue where eleven people died has received a lot of response.
When asked if Trump should revisit gun laws he said “this has little to do with (gun laws) if you take a look. If they had protection inside, the results would have been far better.”
Temple Emanuel in Denver responded to what Trump said following the mass shooting which left 11 dead and six others injured, by stating security and prevention are two different topics when it comes to a tragedy like this.
“Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened,” said Rabbi Joseph Black. “The fact that it happened in a synagogue is, of course, horrific. But whether it’s a synagogue or a church, or medical office, or a public place, or a school – we see this happen over and over again and this time it was the Jewish community. We knew it was going to happen, we just didn't know when.”
According to Black, his synagogue placed armed security years ago and surveillance cameras to be as prepared as they could for any type of horrific situation.
“I hate the fact that we have to have it, but we do,” Black said. “I’m glad we did. But I wish it wasn’t the case. We aren’t going to increase security – we already have, unfortunately. The bigger question is what we can do to prevent these things in the future.”
The answer to the bigger question, Black said, goes beyond security and starts with a discussion.
“We need to look at the way rhetoric is used to encourage people of violence and we have to understand words do have an impact,” Black said. “Our leaders need to learn that it is their conduct, and their type of language that they use – and the way that they treat other people will set an example for our nation.”
RELATED HEADLINES --
11 killed, 6 injured in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
