Oregon HC Dan Lanning ends press conference by addressing gun violence and mental health issues in America in the wake of Maine shooting

Oregon Ducks HC Dan Lanning became emotional while addressing the Maine Shootings.

Oregon HC Dan Lanning ends press conference by addressing gun violence and mental health issues in America in the wake of Maine shooting

Dan Lanning had something to say at the outset of his presser.(via AP)

The recent massacre in Maine that witnessed the killing of 18 people at a bowling alley and a restaurant by a gunman has left the entire nation shaken. The accused, Robert Card shot himself and his body was found on Friday evening. While the intent for the killings remains to be shrouded in mystery, this has yet again shed the spotlight on gun control and mental health awareness. Oregon Ducks Head Coach Dan Lanning had to speak up against such acts of violence towards the end of his press conference.

Lanning, who has led Oregon to a 7-1 record in college football so far had this to say:

 I see at times what's going on in this country....where is the respect for human life? There's a lot more to this...

The HC made it clear from the start that he does not mean to get political with this but the subject of gun violence is one that is important to the Ducks as a team and that such a heinous act cannot go unaddressed.

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Dan Lanning shared his thoughts from the perspective of a father of three children aged 13, 12, and 10 respectively. He continued: 

This isn't me taking a stance but our players told me this Spring that gun violence was important to them. I just want to ask everybody, what are we doing about it? We continue to sit around and expect different results.

Dan Lanning got emotional while addressing the subject of gun violence

The Head Coach views this as a repetitive cycle that keeps on going on and on. Little to no action has been taken to prevent such incidents and that is terrifying for parents who send their children to school not knowing if they will get an opportunity to see them again. Lanning believes it is about time that serious action is taken to address this issue.

Dan Lanning
Dan Lanning (via The Athletic)

He said: 

We got a lot of smart people in this country, how about we do something to fix it?...I think enough is enough. At some point, we have to take a hard look in the mirror and figure out where can we support people having mental health problems in this country?

He went on to add that there need to be stricter checks around the ownership of guns and law enforcement needs to be taught and better equipped to be able to deal with such situations.

Dan concluded by stating: 

I'm not trying to be political but I do care about human life, I do care about human decency and I'm hoping that at some point we can take a stand and do something about it.

There have been an estimated 560 incidents of mass shootings across the US in 2023 alone as per The Gun Violence Archive, in the last three years, there have been over 600 mass shootings per year. The numbers clearly indicate that there is a problem that needs to be addressed at the earliest.

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