Henry County Sheriff Shaquille O’Neal proposed a different approach to make the schools safer

Adit Pujari | 02/09/2022
Henry County Sheriff Shaquille O'Neal proposed a different approach to make the schools safer

Los Angeles Lakers 3-time championship winner Shaquille O’Neal shares his solution to controlling gun-related violence

Shaquille O’Neal is arguably the most dominant center in league history. The 7’1″, 325 lbs superstar was a force like none other. He was unstoppable.

There was no dearth of players who tried to guard Shaq. But there were only a handful who could actually boast of being able to defend Shaq.

He was an absolute beast in the paint, bullying big men like they were ragged dolls. Kobe Bryant famously claimed that Shaq wasn’t afraid of his size and ferocity. He truly wasn’t.

O’Neal was a menace on the court. He was ruthless and vindictive, determined to prove his worth in every attempt. Hammering the ball down the rim like no tomorrow.

But since his retirement, Diesel has amazed the world with his kindness and goofy personality. So, it was surprising when O’Neal voiced his hot take on controlling gun violence.

Also Read: 7-foot Shaquille O’Neal publicly roasts Michael Jordan

Shaq believes banning guns is not the solution to protect schools and streets from gun violence

An ardent supporter of the police force, Shaquille is a member of the Henry County Sherriff’s department. The Sherriff’s department appointed O’Neal as the director of community relations.

With his love for the police apparent, it’s no wonder O’Neal speaks in support of them. While in an interview in 2018, Shaq claimed that increasing the budget and footfall of the police force is the only means of stopping gun violence.

O’Neal: “The government should give law enforcement more money. Give more money, you recruit more people, and the guys that are not ready to go on the streets, you put them in front of the schools. You put ’em in front of the schools, you put ’em behind the schools, you put ’em inside the schools, and we need to pass information. … I would like to see police officers in schools, inner cities, private schools.”

So as not to confuse the public, Shaq highlighted his argument that by banning guns, the government can’t get rid of guns already present in the country.

He continued: “There’s a lot of those weapons already on the streets. So it’s not like, if you say, ‘OK, these weapons are banned,’ people are gonna go, ‘Oh man, let me turn it in.’ That’s definitely not going to happen. [Because] once you ban ’em, now they’re going to become a collector’s item and you’re going to have people underground, and they were $2,000. … I’ll give you $9,000 for that gun. So, you know, we just need to keep our eyes open.”

Do you think Shaq’s idea that we need more police to control gun violence is accurate or is he in the wrong?

Also Read: “First Kobe Bryant, now Michael Jordan?”: Chris Broussard questions $20M worth NBA vet’s credibility for doubting greatness of the GOATs

Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O' Neal

About the author

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Adit Pujari

Adit Pujari is an NBA Journalist and Strategist at The SportsRush. He formerly worked as a debate and writing trainer. An avid fan of Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, Adit began following the league in 2007. With the Lakers and Boston Celtics rivalry ripe, he found himself hooked to the sport immediately. After 15 years of religiously following the league, he decided to use his knowledge base as a sports writer in 2021. Since then, he has worked as an NBA writer, led a team of MLB writers, and has now joined The SportsRush. In his spare time, Adit loves playing pickup games and exploring hidden Himalayan trails.

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