Former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather reacted to the mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., Wednesday, writing on Twitter “we are attacked by foreign terrorists and spend trillions to defend ourselves. But we are terrorized daily by gun violence and do nothing?”
The tweet was shared more than 4,600 times, and while Rather was criticized by some for taking a seemingly political stand, the veteran newsman argued it was a question of national security. “It is not enough to say our prayers are with the victims. It is not enough to to say this is NOT normal. It is not enough to point the usual fingers. This is a public health issue on par with an infectious disease, an epidemic. We need to allow our best scientists to study it as such.”
Rather, writing on his Facebook page, argued for national action on gun violence:
This is a national security issue equivalent to terrorism. It actually is terrorism. We need to let our best minds in law enforcement, sociology, public health and many other professions come up with plans of action and have that done without being hamstrung by petty partisan politics.
Americans are being killed in large numbers. When did we go from a can-do nation to a shrug-our-shoulders nation? This is a problem we can’t afford not to solve. It is a contagion that needs a plan of treatment. Now.
We are attacked by foreign terrorists and spend trillions to defend ourselves. But we are terrorized daily by gun violence, and do nothing?
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) December 2, 2015