Walz faces backlash after saying he has made friends with school shooters in VP debate

Tim Walz is facing backlash after saying he had “become friends with school shooters” during the vice presidential debate.

The father of a 2018 Parkland shooting victim was among those who called out the Democrat, branding the apparent gaffe “absolutely abhorrent” in a post on X.

The comment came when the vice presidential nominee was asked on Tuesday night about his shift in stance on an assault weapons ban. His reply, which appeared to be a slip-up, stunned viewers and resulted in a now-viral clip on social media.

When CBS News moderator Norah O’Donell asked why his position changed over the years from opposing a ban on assault weapons to supporting it, Walz replied: “I sat in that office with those Sandy Hook parents. I’ve become friends with school shooters.”

“I was the NRA guy for a long time,” he continued, without correcting himself. “They used to teach gun safety. I’m of an age where my shotgun was in my car so I could pheasant hunt after football practice. That’s not where we live today.”

Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow — one of 17 people fatally shot in the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting — reacted to the clip: “My daughter was killed in the Parkland school shooting. It’s absolutely abhorrent that Tim Walz has befriended school shooters. Disqualifying.”

Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk also chimed in: “Mind-blowing that Tim Walz said he was ‘friends with school shooters.’” Musk added a clown emoji at the end of his tweet, which has been viewed around 2 million times already.

However, co-founder of Moms Demand Action Shannon Watts tried to set Walz’s record straight.

“I’ve had the honor of knowing Gov Tim Walz for years and have had a front row seat to his compassion and courage on the