Trump Labels UK Hospitals 'War Zones' in Heated Pro-2nd Amendment Speech
President Donald Trump threw shade at anti-gun Britain for the carnage caused by knife attacks during his speech at the National Rifle Association convention Friday.
“I recently read a story that in London, which has unbelievably tough gun laws, a once very prestigious hospital — right in the middle — is like a war zone for horrible stabbing wounds,” Trump said, according to The Washington Post.
“They don’t have guns. They have knives and instead there’s blood all over the floors of this hospital,” Trump said, CNN reported. “They say it’s as bad as a military war zone hospital. Knives, knives, knives. London hasn’t been used to that. They’re getting used to it. Pretty tough.”
In April, the BBC quoted Dr. Martin Griffiths, who works at Royal Hospital London, as saying that knife attacks were overwhelming the hospital
“Some of my military colleagues have described their practice here as being similar to being at (Helmand province’s former Camp) Bastion,” Dr. Martin Griffiths told the BBC. “We routinely have children under our care, 13, 14, 15 years old are daily occurrences, knife and gun wounds.”
Knife crime has soared in London. The Sun reported that as of late April, at least 36 people had been stabbed to death in London alone, and that during 2017, there were more than 37,000 reported crimes involving knives.
Due to the increase in knife attacks, some British lawmakers have called for bans on certain types of knives, much as some opposed to gun rights have called for new gun control laws.
On Friday, Trump told the NRA that he will not tolerate any infringement on the Second Amendment.
Trump pledged his administration would continue to protect their Second Amendment rights, which he said are currently “under siege.”
“Thanks to your activism and dedication, you have an administration fighting to protect your Second Amendment and we will protect your Second Amendment,” he said. “Your Second Amendment rights are under siege, but they will never ever be under siege as long as I am your president.”
Trump told the NRA that the Parkland, Florida, school shooting illustrated his long-held contention that more must be done to address behavioral health “red flags” that show when individuals are becoming threats to themselves or others.
“There has never been a case where more red flags have been shown,” said Trump, and added his administration was “working to improve early warning systems.”
Trump also said more must be done to “harden certain schools.” Trump also supported “allowing highly trained teachers to carry concealed weapons” and an increase in security in schools.
During his speech, Trump referenced the 2015 attacks in Paris, during which 130 people were killed, noted France 24.
“They took their time and gunned them down one by one,” Trump said, using his hand in a gesture that mimicked shooting a gun. “Boom. Come over here. Boom. Come over here. Boom.”
Then Trump made his point: “But if one employee or just one patron had a gun — or if one person in this room had been there with a gun, aimed at the opposite direction — the terrorists would have fled or been shot, and it would have been a whole different story.”
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