‘SIT DOWN’

Parkland Victim’s Dad Yells at Biden During Gun Legislation ‘Celebration’

Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed in a mass shooting in 2017, chided Biden for using the word “celebration” to describe the event.

President Joe Biden’s Monday morning “celebration” of new, bipartisan gun safety legislation did not go entirely to plan. As the president hosted hundreds of guests on the South Lawn, Manuel Oliver, whose son Joaquin was killed in the 2017 Parkland school shooting, stood up and began yelling. “Sit down,” Biden responded, “You’ll hear what I have to say.” As other attendees began clapping, Biden asked that Oliver let him finish speaking. “Make no mistake about it, this legislation is real progress but more has to be done,” Biden said. (The bill is the biggest gun bill signed in three decades but is hardly the comprehensive package Democrats and activists had been pushing for.) Oliver was escorted out of the gathering after his comments.

Footage from the event didn’t capture what Oliver was saying but, earlier Monday, he had tweeted about attending the event, chiding Biden for using the word “celebration” given the relentless spate of mass shootings. “I don’t ‘celebrate’ an agreement that comes out after innocent people are killed by political inaction. I consider this a ‘slow reaction,’” he wrote. Last week, he criticized Biden for inaction after the Supreme Court further loosened gun laws. “I can’t wait to see you on Monday so you can explain,” he wrote. In an interview following the ceremony, Oliver he said he had no regrets about interrupting Biden.

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Alice TecotzkyFormer Breaking News Intern

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