President Joe Biden said he was mourning the deaths of those whose lives were cut short “due to more senseless gun violence” after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.
Biden is among the political leaders nationally and in Georgia who are closely monitoring the incident in which officials said four people were killed and nine others were taken to hospitals. According to the White House Press Office, Biden was briefed by his U.S. Department of Homeland Security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, and is in touch with federal, state and local officials.
“What should have been a joyous back-to-school season in Winder, Georgia, has now turned into another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart,” Biden said in a statement. “Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
He added that ending gun violence is “personal to me” and called on Democrats to ban assault weapons, require safe storage of firearms and enact universal background checks.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, expressed similar concerns in impromptu remarks during a campaign event in New Hampshire. She has also been briefed and will receive regular updates, according to the press traveling with her on the campaign trail.
Her opponent, former president Donald Trump, was among those on social media offering condolences to the victims.
In a statement, Gov. Brian Kemp said he is heartbroken.
“This is a day every parent dreads, and Georgians everywhere will hug their children tighter this evening because of this painful event,” he said.
Kemp added that his office will work with local, state and federal partners to make all resources help the community “on this incredibly difficult day and in the days to come.”
State Superintendent of Schools Richard Woods called the shooting “an unimaginable loss for Barrow and for our entire educational community.” Woods said the Georgia Department of Education is in contact with responding agencies.
“I ask that all Georgians keep the community of Apalachee High School and, first and foremost, the families of those lost, in your thoughts. I know we will come together as a state to support the Barrow County community as they face this tragic loss,” Woods wrote.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, who represents the district in Congress, said in a post on X that he’s praying for the victims and their families, as well as all students at the high school. He said he has spoken to the sheriff.
“We extend our gratitude to law enforcement for their swift action to secure the school and get the shooter in custody,” Collins wrote.
That post and a second one that appeared to downplay the role firearms played in causing deaths and injuries at Apalachee High School led many to criticize Collins on social media. Others resurfaced campaign ads where Collins brandished and fired an assault-style rifle, as well as his prior statements criticizing gun control efforts.
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, whose son was murdered in 2012, wrote on X that she is “praying for families across our state and entire country.”
“Too many continue to experience the pain of gun violence. No family should have to go through this,” she said.
Last month, McBath amplified her calls for gun restrictions in a segment during the Democratic National Convention.
In a post on X, state House Speaker Jon Burns said, “We’re praying for the safety of the students, faculty, and staff at the school and the law enforcement officers who are responding to the scene. We are closely monitoring the situation as it develops.”
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones wrote in a post on X, “We are monitoring the incident that occurred at Apalachee High School. Thank you to the brave men and women who responded. We are keeping the students, faculty, their families, the entire community and first responders in our thoughts and prayers.”
Some Democratic state lawmakers have responded by calling for legislative action to prevent gun violence.
“The ‘guns everywhere’ policy championed by GA GOP should be repealed if we truly want to reduce school shootings,” state Sen. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, said on X.
And state Sen. Elena Parent posted on X: “Apalachee High in Barrow County suffered a mass shooting this morning. As we learn more about what happened, one thing is certain: lax gun laws fuel the horror of school shootings. We owe it to our kids to not have to live like this.”
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., wrote a series of messages on X echoing calls for gun control.
“The entire Winder community is in my prayers, but we can’t pray only with our lips — we must pray by taking action,” he said. “Until we center the people and start a serious, bipartisan conversation in Washington and state capitols across the country to advance popular, commonsense gun safety reforms, the sad truth is it’s only a matter of time before this kind of tragedy comes knocking on your door.”
After a deadly shooting in May 2023 at a medical office building in Atlanta, Warnock had shared that his two small children had been on lockdown at a nearby school.
