Steph Curry, an NBA player, and his Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, both expressed regret over the attempted murder of former President Donald Trump while simultaneously advocating for better gun regulation.
Following Trump’s shooting, reporters interviewed members of the squad USA Olympic basketball squad about their responses to the horrible events.
Kerr, who coaches both the NBA’s Warriors and Team USA, stated that his team will pay great attention to how they conduct themselves on behalf of the country:
“This is a time when we are very proud to represent our country, wearing the USA on our chest and competing in the Olympics,” Kerr told reporters in Abu Dhabi, UAE. “We’ve talked to the players about how vital it is to exhibit the best version of ourselves as humans in order to represent our country in a courteous, dignified manner. It makes you want to do it even more because it is just humiliating for us to sit here and reflect on what has occurred and what is going on in our country.”
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According to ESPN, Kerr’s father was slain in 1984 in Beirut, Lebanon, after being targeted by the militant group Islamic Jihad. Malcolm Kerr served as president of the American University of Beirut.
“It’s such a demoralizing day for our country, and it’s yet another example of not only political division but also gun culture,” Kerr said, before detailing the gunman. “A 20-year-old with an AR-15 attempted to shoot the former president. It’s difficult to digest everything, and it’s worrisome to think about where this will lead given the country’s current problems. So it is an awful day.”
“Thank God Trump wasn’t hit, but it’s just so demoralizing in every which way,” he told reporters.
“Obviously, gun control is first and foremost.”
However, Thomas Matthew Crooks, the attempted assassin, is commonly thought to have used his father’s lawfully purchased weapon to carry out his crimes. ABC News reports that the rifle was purchased in 2013.
Curry, an NBA champion and Team USA standout, also commented from Abu Dhabi. Curry expressed sadness but also advocated for additional firearm controls.
“It’s obviously a very sad time in general,” Curry explained. “All the conversations around the election and the state of politics in our country, and then you have a situation like this, which just [evokes] a lot of emotions around things that we need to correct as a people,” he remarked in front of a backdrop representing Team USA.
“Obviously, gun control comes first and foremost, because it is feasible for someone to carry out such an incident. But more importantly, you want to see happiness and hope. It sounds clichéd, but it’s true. That’s when our country shines brightest, and it only adds to the problems. “So sad is just the word,” he said.
Curry and Kerr both visited the White House in early 2023 to give basketball jerseys to the president. At the same time, Kerr and some of his players took part in a roundtable discussion about gun control.
Kerr’s anti-gun activity dates back many years, including statements blaming Republicans for shootings.
It seems they “refuse to do anything about the violence, the school shootings, the supermarket shootings,” as Kerr stated in 2022. They put their “desire for power ahead of the lives of our children, our elderly, and our churchgoers,” he added.
Curry has spoken out more broadly against gun violence, but he is less strident than Kerr in calling for stronger restrictions.
