J.R. Smith unleashes passionate diatribe about gun control after Texas outlet mall shooting

Saturday saw another unfortunate and unnecessary shooting incident take place in the United States, resulting in outrage from a lot of folks, including former Cleveland Cavaliers champion J.R. Smith.

The latest incident occurred in Allen, Texas, with the gunman reportedly stepping out of a car and opening fire in the parking lot of an outlet mall. Sadly, the gunman killed eight people and left at least seven others wounded.

Aside from the casualties, the experience was likely traumatizing for the survivors, as reports show that children were among those who were at the complex at the time of the shooting.

The gunman was eventually brought down by an Allen Police Department officer who happened to be on site for an unrelated call. According to CNN, a photo it obtained revealed that the gunman may have been equipped with an AR-15 style firearm and wore black body armor and chest gear that may have had several additional magazines strapped to it.

Not long after the tragedy, Smith went on Twitter to plea about the gun control issue that has been hounding the nation for a while now. The retired guard even took the time to respond to other users, one of which refuted his arguments.

Considering how frequent mass shootings have become in recent times, it’s easy to see why Smith would want to passionately go off against what he seemingly perceives as a flaw in the system. According to Gun Violence Archive, the U.S. has suffered nearly 200 mass shootings this year.

Hopefully, things will change for the better sooner rather than later. After all, many of the incidents are taking place in public places where Americans previously felt safe. It seems likely that Smith and plenty of other former and current NBA players will continue to address the matter publicly as time goes on.

Smith last played in the NBA in the 2019-20 campaign, winning a title with the Los Angeles Lakers. He also won a ring with the Cavs in 2016. Even though he has been out of the league for a few years now, he still makes headlines from time to time.