Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo gives his take on gun control in the wake of the Parkland shooting at his Alma Mater.
Gun control and the Second Amendment are on the minds of a lot of people these days including Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo who made it clear that this is an issue near and dear to his heart.
“I would like to see people start becoming more accountable and start answering more questions,” Rizzo told USA TODAY. “These kids are growing up in a generation with all of these school shootings. You have 11-year-olds speaking at rallies. Eleven-year-olds! I’m sitting on my couch in tears thinking that these kids should be at a soccer game. It’s Saturday. Or dance. Or playing a sport. Or doing whatever they love. Instead they’re at a rally trying to change a lot of lives and change this nation. It’s crazy.’’
Q: Would you like to see new gun control legislation?
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) March 27, 2018
Anthony Rizzo's answer 👇 pic.twitter.com/KGpxeyPQ6N
Rizzo is, of course, talking about the survivors of the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL (Rizzo’s own Alma Mater) who have rallied together to urge American politicians to enact more gun control to help prevent another massacre.
“The sad thing is that we’re all numb to it,” he said. “You hear school shooting. You hear bombers. You hear all sorts of things. You keep going on with your day because we’re so numb to it until it’s something huge and everybody starts paying attention to it.”
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Rizzo, a three-time All-Star, and World Series champion, is known for his charitable heart and was even awarded the 2017 Roberto Clemente Award which is given for his outstanding humanitarian efforts, spoke at a prayer vigil for the 17 victims of the high school shooting — leaving his teams Spring Training in the process.
There have unfortunately been numerous mass killings in the United States recently including the shooting on the Las Vegas Strip that left 58 people dead and a serial bomber who sent bombs to his victims through the mail in Texas this month. It’s because of these incidents that Rizzo feels he needs to use his platform for the good of the people.
“Sometimes athletes don’t give ourselves the best names,” he said. “But being able to put this uniform on gives us a platform to put on a smile and help out families.”
Though Rizzo never directly said if he was for or against stricter gun laws, it’s clear that he is looking for some type of change to come from all the tragedy.