Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr On Parkland Students: 'I'm Really Proud Of What They're Doing'
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MIAMI (CBS) - Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is no stranger to the effects of gun violence. His father, Malcolm H. Kerr, was shot and killed in Beirut in 1984 while Kerr was a freshman at the University of Arizona. That experience has led Kerr to speak out publicly numerous times about gun violence and the need for gun control.
On Wednesday, he did so again after he hosted students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at Warriors practice prior to the team's game against the Miami Heat. Kerr spoke to the students and afterwards with reporters, once again reiterating the need for change in the country's gun laws.
"You try to put yourself in their shoes. I can't imagine at any age, but to have to go through that at 14, 15, 16 years old, you imagine someone coming in right now and spraying us with a semi-automatic weapon, it's horrifying. And they had to go through that," said Kerr. "We have to decide as a country if we are going to do anything about that. The answer is pretty simple in my mind. Yes, we want to do something about it."
Kerr continued his remarks praising the efforts of the Parkland students and student-activists all over the country who have continued to push for stricter gun control laws.
"The fortunate thing is, the young people leading this drive are going to be much more impactful than people like me," said Kerr. "It's true, older people have been trying to do something but haven't made the impact. But, the next generation, the country belongs to them. I'm really proud of what they're doing. They're starting this grass roots organization, starting chapters all over the country and they're trying to do something that we all should be doing which is protect each other."
Kerr went on to stress that when he is discussing gun control, he isn't necessarily saying that he wants to eliminate all guns or the Second Amendment. But, there are questions that we need to ask as a country and he is hopeful that the movement that has started with the Parkland students will be able to push people to reckon with these questions.
"It doesn't mean getting rid of the Second Amendment. It means getting semi-automatic weapons out of the hands of mentally ill people," said Kerr. "It means having background checks. It means really investigating what is important in our country. Do we really need high capacity magazines? Is that really necessary? Does that fall under the second amendment? These are all really difficult questions, but one thing I know is that our citizens should be priority number one and the young people are going to win."
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