Alex Bruno
A day after a lone gunman killed at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in south Texas, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called for “tight” background checks for all gun purchases. He also backed gun ownership as a “safeguard” against political tyranny. Musk sent an email to CNBC in which he criticized the media for providing mass shooters with the attention he feels they seek by reporting the events of the killings.
In light of recent happenings, it is quite clear that the perpetrators of these shootings are doing so in order to get the most amount of publicity possible. Why is the media catering directly to the needs of those who commit mass murder? Musk asked. The Musk firms have a significant presence in the state of Texas. Electric car manufacturers Tesla relocated their firm headquarters from California to Austin, Texas, in Texas one year ago owing to the less strict business rules in the Lone Star State as well as around $64 million in incentives offered by the state and municipal governments.
In April, Tesla held the grand opening ceremony for a gigantic new car and battery facility located near Austin. Musk also operates the company SpaceX, which is responsible for launching reusable rockets from the Boca Chica facility located in south Texas. The chief executive officer has been increasingly outspoken on political issues in recent weeks, saying earlier in May that he would be voting Republican before weighing in on the ongoing discussion on gun control.
In emails sent to CNBC on Wednesday, he expressed his support for “tight background checks” for all gun sales and for limiting sales of assault weapons to people in special circumstances, such as gun range owners or people who live in a “high-risk location, like gang warfare.” He also stated that he is in favor of “tight background checks” for all gun sales.
At least 19 children and two adults were murdered on Tuesday in a mass shooting that took place at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. This incident was one of a string of mass shootings that have taken place in the United States so far in 2018.
“It is my firm conviction that the right to keep and bear weapons is essential protection against the possibility of tyranny on the part of the state. According to another email that Musk sent to CNBC, he said that the reason those in power throughout history have forbidden the general population from owning firearms is so that they can keep control over the populace.
Musk’s wealth is estimated to be above $200 billion, making him the wealthiest person in the world according to Forbes. He is now in the process of purchasing Twitter in a transaction that was estimated to be worth over $40 billion when it was first announced. If the transaction is successful, he has said that he would reinstate former President Donald Trump on the site, despite the fact that he has been permanently barred from using the social network.
After his followers took over the United States Capitol in January 2021, Twitter decided to prevent the former president from using the platform. Twitter explained its decision at the time by stating that it was “because to the potential of future instigation of violence.”
Trump was a prolific tweeter and had more than 80 million followers on the site at the time. On a personal level, Musk now has a larger number of followers on Twitter. These followers include legions of stockholders and supporters of his enterprises.
SpaceX is requesting authority from the FAA to expand its Boca Chica site and undertake launches of its Starship Super Heavy spacecraft there in the state of Texas, which is controlled by the Republican party. Some of the company’s proposals have been met with opposition from local environmentalists and other community organisations.
According to a claim that was published by Business Insider, Musk was recently accused of sexually harassing a flight attendant who works for SpaceX. Musk has denied accusing anybody of sexual harassment.
Musk is one of the supporters of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, who is still planning to go to the annual convention of the pro-gun National Rifle Association on Friday. Abbott considers Abbott as one of his pals. It is expected that Trump will also be present at the NRA gathering. In an interview with CNBC from the previous year, Abbott said that he had “regular” conversations with Musk.
“Elon had to get out of California because in part the social policies in California,” Abbott said at the time after he had introduced a nearly ban on abortions in the state of Texas. “Elon consistently tells me that he likes the social policies in the state of Texas,” Abbott said, “and Elon consistently tells me that he likes the social policies in the state of Texas.”
When asked whether he would contact Abbott to urge him to enhance background check legislation at the Texas state level, Musk did not react when the question was put to him. Since the incident in Texas, politicians on the Democratic side of the aisle in Congress have been pushing for their colleagues to approve comprehensive gun control legislation. One of Tesla’s employees fatally shot and murdered a fellow employee in the parking lot of the company’s facility in Fremont, California, in the month of December.
Source: CNBC
