JD Vance faces heat for his ‘stronger doors and windows’ in school comment: ‘Guns matter more than kids’

During Tuesday’s debate, Donald Trump’s running mate and Ohio Senator JD Vance argued that “stronger doors and windows” would be a more effective way to prevent school shootings while addressing the issue of gun violence.

Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)

“We have to make the doors lock better, we have to make the windows [stronger] and of course we got to increase school resource [officers], because the idea that we can magically wave a wand and take guns out of the hands of bad guys it just doesn’t fit with recent experience,” Vance said during the debate.

“We gotta make our school safer, and I think we gotta have some common sense by plans and solutions for how to do that.”

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When asked if holding the parents of mass shooters accountable for their children’s violent actions could help prevent such attacks, Vance avoided giving a direct answer. Instead, he stated that local law enforcement should be trusted to make those decisions. “I think in some cases the answer is going to be ‘yes’ and in some cases the answer is going to be ‘no,’” Vance said.

Netizens are ripping into Vance

Online dwellers are unhappy with Trump’s running mate’s comment on mass school shootings. Like one mocked Vance sarcastically writing, “Yeah. The schools in other countries are all armor plated, with bulletproof glass, I’m guessing… since they don’t have these problems there,” while anther commented, “Imagine having a much cheaper and better solution, and ignoring it bc guns are more important than kids, and the fetuses they pretend to give a s**t about.”

“I can’t believe Republicans have just decided that school shootings are a fact of life. That’s it. They’re resigned to our kids dying,” another one posted.

Vance’s ‘attack dog’ reputation on full display in debate against Walz

The debate, hosted by CBS, saw Vance face off against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in a vice presidential contest. Unlike the presidential debates, this event did not feature muted microphones during the candidates’ answers, allowing for a more fluid exchange.

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Vance, the junior senator from Ohio who has been in office for just under two years, has made controversial comments, including once referring to certain women as “childless cat ladies” while discussing his views on abortion. When questioned about the remark, Vance awkwardly responded that he had “no disrespect for cats.”

He eventually developed a reputation as an aggressive “attack dog” on the campaign trail.