Pence Calls for Federal Death Penalty Law for School Shooters

Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the National Rifle Association in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 14, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Former Vice President Mike Pence told the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Leadership Forum that the solution to school shootings and increased violent crime isn’t the plan pushed by Democrats.

“We don’t need gun control; we need crime control,” Pence told the group. “We need solutions to protect our kids.”

Pence addressed the forum at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Indianapolis on April 14.

He called on the government to secure funding to provide armed guards in all of America’s public and private schools.

“The most prosperous nation in the history of the world can afford to protect our kids,” Pence said.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz speaks with Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill as the verdicts are read in his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Oct. 13, 2022. Amy Beth Bennett/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A second element of his plan to deal with school shooters is to ensure they are dealt with quickly in the legal system.

Pence said it is an affront to society that the confessed murderers of American schoolchildren sit in prison for years.

He called for a federal death penalty statute for those who commit mass murder in a school.

The law would call for an accelerated appeals process resulting in “execution in months, not years.”

The former vice president called on politicians to abandon their gun-control and soft-on crime agenda and take concrete steps to reduce crime.

“While you’re at it, why don’t you secure the southern border of the United States of America?” Pence asked, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Pence outlined some steps to reduce crime and secure the country. A key component would be better mental health services.

Rebuild Mental Health Institutions

In the 1970s government responded to abuses in mental health facilities by “mainstreaming’ patients.

This was the practice of closing psychiatric hospitals and focusing on reintroducing the mentally ill into society. Pence said the plan has proven to be a failure.

According to Pence, some people in prison wouldn’t have committed any crime if they had received appropriate care at a mental health facility.

“We have got to get back to institutional mental health care in this country,” Pence said.

He said that the Trump administration honored the Second Amendment. He called on those gathered to make their voices heard and force politicians to take notice.

“Now more than ever, America needs the voices of the millions of patriots in the NRA,” Pence said.

And he encouraged the crowd to reach out to a higher authority.

“If you’re inclined to bow your head and bend the knee, I would encourage you to do that also,” Pence said.