The shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, rocked the country last week, bringing the need for gun safety to the forefront of everyone's mind. Mike Krzyzewski, the former Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team head coach, joined the chorus of athletes and coaches in calling out the lack of leadership in the United States government.
According to Steve Wiseman of the Raleigh News & Observer, Kyrzyewski lambasted politicians for their refusal to enact more effective gun safety laws. The former Duke coach listed several past tragedies to paint the picture that America has done nothing to fix the issue:
“For us to see these kids get killed, members of our African American community get killed in a grocery store, members of our Jewish community getting killed in a synagogue (in a 2018 Pittsburgh shooting),” Krzyzewski said. “Come on. That’s not right. That’s not right. That’s not right. I mean it’s amazingly wrong. It’s amazingly wrong. And you should be ashamed of yourself, if you are in a position of power.”
Krzyzewski also scoffed at the idea that people need to have assault weapons. The recently retired Duke coach said that the lack of courage to enact meaningful change should make every American politician ashamed of themselves. With so many mass shootings, it's hard to disagree with Coach K's sentiment.
Although it is helpful for people like Krzyzewski and Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to speak out about issues like these, the next steps have to happen. Those in power have to listen and react to their pleas. It's their job as elected officials to make changes that the people want and need. Yet, through several presidential administrations, no serious action has been taken.
With more information coming from the story — such as the Uvalde school police chief saying he will release more details when the families “quit grieving” or the mother who tried to get to her sons during the shooting being handcuffed by the police officers — it's safe to say that the Texas school shooting will remain on the minds of Krzyzewski and countless others. Whether the former Duke coach's words lead to anything remains to be seen, though history offers a pretty grim suggestion about that.
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