Dad of Columbine shooting wears the shoes his son died in to highlight gun laws

Devoted Tom Mauser wears the trainers his son died in at Columbine High School in a dignified and powerful message to the gun lobby.

Two decades after Daniel was killed with 11 other pupils and a teacher, Tom remains “mad as hell” at America’s “bizarre” gun culture.

His son was only 15 when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold unleashed their carnage.

Harris taunted Daniel as he cowered under a desk, then executed him when he dared to fight back.

But Tom, 67, insists his death was not – and will not – be in vain.

He slams the gun lobby, and President Trump, who resist reform, saying they do not understand his pain.

Tom drew global attention when he stood with 8,000 ­others outside a convention centre in Denver, Colorado, ten days after Columbine.

A placard read: “My son Daniel died at Columbine. He’d expect me to be here today.”

A picture of Daniel – blond, blue-eyed and smiling – was held aloft as the crowd protested against the National Rifle Association’s convention, being held nearby.

The NRA had been asked to cancel its meeting out of respect for the victims but refused.

Actor Charlton Heston, the club’s then-president, declared there is “no more precious ­inheritance” than the Second Amendment, which allows Americans to bear arms.

Tom knew in that instant he had to campaign for new laws – a battle that goes on today.

And as the 20th anniversary of the shooting approaches next Saturday, he proudly wears Daniel’s trainers as a potent symbol in the fight to save lives.

The lad was wearing the size eight-and-a-half Vans when ­mayhem unfolded at Columbine.

In the wake of further school shootings, Tom had the chance to ­attend a White House meeting with President Trump just over a year ago.

In the event, he did not go. But asked what he would have said to the President, Tom says: “How can you say anything to somebody who took 30 million dollars (£23million) from the NRA? As President you have the bully pulpit. You have influence.

“But the law has to be passed by politicians, and that is a huge problem. America has well over 90 per cent of people supporting stronger background checks, universal background checks.

“But when the Republicans were in control in the House of Representatives – and now the Democrats – we couldn’t even get a bill heard in committee.

"That’s how strong that gun lobby is. We have ­serious gun ­violence and I’m mad as hell that I’m one of those people who essentially made this sacrifice for this bizarre culture this country has.

“I resent that. The people who ­oppose me have usually never taken one step in my shoes. They haven’t made that sacrifice.

“Guns are such a strong, powerful symbol of freedom for some people. There’s such a history of having ­firearms in this country. That culture is very difficult to overcome.

“It’s about the individual first and society after. When a law is muted to protect others the first thought is ‘Whoa, what does that do to our rights and our ­individual view on life?’”

Tom was inspired to ­oppose the gun lobby by Daniel ­himself. While they were ­having a meal ­together the teenager asked his dad about flaws in the Brady Bill – designed to control over-the-counter gun sales.

It was the very loophole Harris, 18, and Klebold, 17, used to build up their arsenal of weapons.

Tom adds: “With Daniel saying what he said to me at the dinner table, how could I not follow up on that?

“For me, I have to see through what Daniel felt so strongly about. It was prophetic what he said.” Tom speaks passionately as the Columbine ­anniversary revives the heartbreak.

Daniel was taking cover in the ­library when his killers approached. It was 11.34am on April 20, 1999.

Harris called Daniel a geek and “four eyes” because he wore glasses.

A bullet from a Hi-Point carbine rifle pierced Daniel’s hand. The courageous lad pushed a chair at Harris as the cackling killer told him to get up.

He then fired the fatal bullet into Daniel’s brain. Ten students died in the library before 12th graders Harris and Klebold turned the guns on ­themselves. Their carnage sparked a series of copycat shootings over the years – 32 killed at Virginia Tech, 27 at Sandy Hook, Connecticut, and, last year, another 17 at Parkland, Florida.

Tom has joined other parents in protests at Capitol Hill, Washington, where 7,000 pairs of trainers were laid to represent kids killed in shootings.

Almost 40,000 people were shot dead in the US in 2017. But Tom says he is not seeking to ban gun ownership – a task he concedes is impossible.

He goes on: “We’re trying to reduce the body count. But unless we act we’re going to continue killing each other in pretty large numbers.

“If gun owners took more ­responsibility for the firearms they have there would be far fewer fatalities. You only need to look at how Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza was able to obtain his weapons.

“They came from his mother, who owned them legally. Her recklessness – she thought it was a good idea he had access to guns – is what allowed him to carry out his attack.”

Tom’s fight has come at a cost. He has received death threats and hate mail praising the killers and saying his son deserved to die.

In contrast he has been buoyed by the level of activism since the Parkland school ­shooting 14 months ago.

But he is frustrated by politicians who thwart moves to take guns from people identified as a risk. In a final plea, he urges them to put victims first.

He says: “They are standing up for the rights of somebody who could be the next mass shooter.

“They are willing to risk the safety of our people because somebody might lose their guns for 14 days.”

143 deaths in 40 years of classroom carnage

School shootings across the US have claimed the lives of 143 children and adults in 40 years.

America reacted with horror in January, 1979, when pupil Brenda Spencer, 16, launched her “I don’t like Mondays” shooting spree, killing two and wounding nine.

But much worse was to follow and grim figures reveal that, on average, there is a school shooting every week.

Since the Columbine massacre 289 have been injured in shootings. Last year saw the most bloodshed with 35 people killed – 28 of them students – and 79 injured.

And 94 firearms incidents have been recorded in schools so far this year.

Read More

Top news stories from Mirror Online

Source: Read Full Article