Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been an outspoken advocate for gun control, recently chastising senators for failing to pass reasonable safety measures.
But at Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday — as massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, have given way to a continuing streak of mass shootings ― the coach stepped up his activist game.
Wearing an orange “End Gun Violence” T-shirt at a pregame news conference, Kerr pushed for “proven laws that are waiting to be passed” that would curb gun deaths, including background checks.
“There are things we can do that would not violate peoples’ Second Amendment rights, but would save lives,” he said before the Warriors beat the visiting Boston Celtics, 107-88, to even the series at one game apiece.
Making people aware of gun violence prevention groups is another avenue, but “the biggest thing, I think, is to vote,” he said.
Kerr said that “despite the fact that the majority of people in this country want gun safety measures put in place, a lot of (congressional) races are decided by people who aren’t so much for any kind of gun safety measures.”
“Get out and vote,” he said. “That’s the only way to convince the people we need to convince.”
A recent poll shows Americans overwhelmingly support background checks on all gun sales. The Democratic-led House passed a background check bill in 2021, but Senate Republicans blocked it.