Al Gore compares climate change deniers to botched law enforcement response in Uvalde massacre
Former Vice President Al Gore made a stunning comparison, saying climate change skeptics are similar to the law enforcement officers who botched the response to the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. "Climate deniers are really in some ways similar to all of those almost 400 law enforcement officers in Uvalde, Texas, who were waiting outside an unlocked door while the children were being massacred," Gore said during a pre-taped "Meet the Press" interview airing Sunday. "They heard the screams, they heard the gunshots, and nobody stepped forward," he continued. "And God bless those families who suffered so much. Law enforcement officials tell us that's not typical of what law enforcement usually does." UVALDE SHOOTING REPORT FINDS CULTURE OF NONCOMPLIANCE AMONG STAFF, TACITLY CONDONED BY ADMINISTRATORS Gore, a former Tennessee senator who served as vice president to former President Bill Clinton, insisted that addressing climate change is not a "partisan issue" but that the U.S., like the Uvalde response, is failing to act. "And confronted with this global emergency, what we're doing with our inaction and failing to walk through the door and stop the killing is not typical of what we are capable of as human beings," he said. "We do have the solutions, and I think these extreme events that are getting steadily worse and more severe are really beginning to change minds." "We have to have unity as a nation to come together and stop making this a political football," he added. "It shouldn't be a partisan issue. Video of the police response to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School, where 19 children and two adults were fatally shot, showed officers gathering for more than an hour outside a classroom where the gunman carried out his attack. Police Chief Pedro "Pete" Arredondo is on paid administrative leave while the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District determines his fate. A 77-page report released by the Texas House of Representatives Investigative Committee found that school administrators adopted a "regrettable culture of noncompliance" with safety and security measures leading up to the shooting.