This Friday, President Trump spoke at the NRA convention in Atlanta and thanked the group for lending its support during his campaign. “I’m going to come through for you,” Trump told the crowd.
Before he became a politician, Trump was a supporter of gun control measures. But he became a champion of gun rights in his bid for the White House, which won him $30 million in campaign support from the powerful lobbying group, according to the New York Times. But advocates for gun control see Trump’s NRA speech as a direct assault on what they’ve worked to achieve, and Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who’s fought for increased gun control since the Sandy Hook massacre, is letting the president know how he feels in a powerful way.
Taking to Twitter on Friday morning, Murphy asked his followers to ignore Trump’s speech and focus on victims of gun violence instead:
.@realDonaldTrump about to take stage at NRA, to celebrate right of criminals to own guns, to glorify weapons that kill
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Here’s my advice. Turn off cable. Don’t watch @realDonaldTrump‘s NRA speech. Instead, think about who we are fighting for.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Murphy then shared images of shooting victims, many them children.
Ana Márquez-Greene, age 6 pic.twitter.com/DUIzU3M3mG
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Jordan Davis, age 17 pic.twitter.com/rVgwGA1xR1
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Benjamin Wheeler, age 6 pic.twitter.com/doMU6ic8jW
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Terrell Bosley, age 18 pic.twitter.com/mpqqGZ5CpG
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Dylan Hockley, age 6 pic.twitter.com/YWd3RFQPCX
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
That’s who we fight for. And with 90% of Americans and 80% of gun owners on our side, we can’t lose. Let’s get to it.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) April 28, 2017
Murphy’s tweetstorm didn’t go unnoticed by the NRA. According to the New York Times, NRA spokesperson Jennifer Baker said that Murphy’s tweets were nothing more than a political stunt.
“It’s appalling that Chris Murphy exploits victims to push a gun control agenda even he admits wouldn’t stop criminals from committing crimes,” Baker said. “Voters are sick of politicians who spend more time on publicity stunts than solving problems.”
Featured image via murphy.senate.gov
