During a media session Thursday, Falcons coach Arthur Smith was asked about the school shooting in Texas that killed 19 children earlier this week.
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old gunman, armed with two assault rifles, entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 19 children and two teachers.
“I’m an independent thinker,” Smith said. “I appreciate everyone’s opinion. Lost art of debate. I’m going to stay out of the political side. That’s not why I’m concerned. It’s more, you brought up, as a parent, father, husband, son, really a concerned citizen of the community of this country, because I believe in the people of this country.
“I think it’s a shame as leaders, again I don’t care about the politics, but as a people who care about this community, that you can’t find a compromise solution to keep military-grade assault weapons out of the hands on mentally ill people and I’ll leave it at that.”
The most recent of several mass shootings, the shooting is the third-deadliest American school shooting after the Virginia Tech in 2007 and Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
The Falcons are in the middle of offseason workouts.
