Before Questioning Ja Morant’s Recent IG Live, Shaquille O’Neal Claimed Getting Rid of Guns Would be Impossible: “Children and Guns”

Ja Morant is under fire for his recent actions. The Memphis Grizzlies guard was once again spotted flashing a gun in a friend’s IG Live video. His lack of responsibility and accountability has led to much criticism. And, one person who has been very critical of Ja is NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal.

Big Diesel shared his thoughts on TNT’s Inside the NBA, where he stated that Morant had made a choice. It was his decision to act like a “fool”. Not to mention, the fact that he has children looking up to him, which Shaq believes shows his lack of responsibility.

The four-time NBA Champion has had similar thoughts before. In 2018, he was asked for his opinion on gun control, and he made it clear on WABC Radio that if there is one thing that shouldn’t be mixed together it’s children and guns.

Shaquille O’Neal once advocated for more police in schools in order to curb gun violence

Gun violence and gun control have been two major topics that have been debated in the US for decades now. The alarming number of incidents is a huge cause for concern. Especially when it comes to school shootings.

The number of children with access to guns is insane. In 2022 alone, the United States had 51 school shootings. However, things haven’t gotten any better, and with many searching for a solution, we are reminded of Shaquille O’Neal’s comments on the matter back in 2018.

Appearing on WABC Radio, Shaq made it clear, that guns and children should not be mixed. And, while it will be difficult to ban guns in its entirety, perhaps some other steps can be taken. For starters, he believes that there should be a higher concentration of law enforcement in schools.

“Two things that have never mixed are children and guns. … Something has to be done. You hear a lot of people talking about getting these guns off the streets. Only problem with that is there’s 15 million of them out there already on the streets. Another problem is, if you ban them, then you’re going to create an underground market, and the gun collectors are going to become more valuable.”

“I think the quick fix now, the government should give law enforcement more money. Give more money, recruit more people, and the guys that are not ready to go in the streets, you put them in front of the schools. You put them in front of the schools, you put them behind the schools, you put them inside the schools”.

Shaquille O’Neal wants more police officers in school, not gun bans https://t.co/RvszXVVl1B

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) March 15, 2018

Shaq made a good arguement. What’s more, fast forward ten years, and his point becomes even more valid in the midst of Ja Morant’s recent incident.

Shaq’s opinions on gun control align with his take on Ja Morant’s actions

It’s clear to see that Shaquille O’Neal has some strong opinions on gun control. Especially, when it comes to the influence weapons have on children. And, while it has been some time since he last spoke on the matter, his opinion on Ja Morant’s recent gun-slinging incident and his lack of responsibility as a role model to children echo his 2018 sentiments.

One thing is for certain, Ja Morant has a lot of growing up to do. And, hopefully he takes this criticism to heart and strives to become not just a better role model, but a better human being as well.