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Rick Santorum to Parkland students: Learn CPR instead of protesting for 'phony gun laws'

'How about kids instead of looking to someone else to solve their problem, do something about maybe taking CPR classes or trying to deal with situations that when there is a violent shooter that you can actually respond to that,' Santorum said.
Credit: Alex Wong
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) speaks during a news conference on health care September 13, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Senators Graham,(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Former U.S. senator Rick Santorum on Sunday dismissed efforts by young survivors of last month's Florida school shooting to change gun laws, saying they should instead learn CPR and work on halting bullying.

Santorum was a guest on CNN's State of the Union one day after March for Our Lives rallies across the nation and around the world drew hundreds of thousands of protesters demanding safer schools and tighter gun laws.

"How about kids instead of looking to someone else to solve their problem, do something about maybe taking CPR classes or trying to deal with situations that when there is a violent shooter that you can actually respond to that," Santorum said.

A startled Van Jones, a liberal CNN commentator, said he had a son who was about to start high school.

"If his main way to survive high school is learning CPR so when his friends get shot ... that to me, we've gone too far," Jones said. "I'm proud of these kids. I know you're proud of these kids too."

Santorum quickly agreed that he was proud of the young leaders, but just as quickly went back on the attack.

"I think everyone should be responsible and deal with the problems that we have to confront in our lives," Santorum said. "And ignoring those problems and saying 'They're not going to come to me,' and saying some phony gun law is gonna solve it. Phony gun laws don't solve these problems."

Dissenters were quick to pounce on social media.

"As a surgeon, I’ve operated on gunshot victims who’ve had bullets tear through their intestines, cut through their spinal cord, and pulverize their kidneys and liver," tweeted surgeon and health care columnist Eugene Gu. "Rick Santorum telling kids to shut up and take CPR classes is simply unconscionable."

Tweeted Canadian Bruce Anderson: "I just watched Rick Santorum say kids should stop looking for other people to solve their problems, and do things like learn CPR. America, OMG, you've lost the plot."

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