NBA superstar LeBron James spoke out about the need for stricter gun laws Friday, one day after a 5-month-old girl in Cleveland was killed in a drive-by shooting.
The death of Aavielle Wakefield, plus a mass shooting at an Oregon community college in which nine people were killed, fueled the decision by the Cleveland Cavaliers star to take a public stand.
“Four kids under the age of 5 or 6 years old have been shot and killed or very badly injured,” James told reporters in reference to recent shootings around Cleveland. “There’s no room for that. There’s no room for guns, first of all, but then for violence toward kids or anybody. I see the news go across my phone and I’m sitting there in front of my three kids, so it automatically just hit me.
“It’s not just in Cleveland, it’s the whole nation that goes through this as well. We all hurt from it.”
James didn’t witness the speech of President Barack Obama following the massacre in Roseburg, Ore. — an attack in which the shooter was killed by police. Part of Obama’s comments included terming the United States as “the only advanced country on earth that sees these kinds of mass shootings every few months.”
James agrees with Obama and wants to see change.
“I know what I see. I know how I feel,” James said. “Obviously you’re not going to be able to take every gun out. I don’t know how you can do that. There’s so many around now, today. But if there’s some stipulations behind it or some penalties, some big-time penalties or rules or regulations about carrying firearms, legal or illegal, people will second-guess themselves.”
James’s stature as an NBA superstar gives him a voice and he’s hoping speaking out will make an impact.
“Part of the education program we’re doing is keeping those kids off the street and keeping their situations that’s maybe bad and turning them into good,” James said. “I think what we’re doing is controlling some of the violence. Some of these kids might be in violent situations, violent areas or violent homes and we’re trying to keep them away from that.”