Parkland victim’s father apologizes to friends, family after disrupting Trump address

A father of a victim that died during the 2018 Parkland, Fla., school shooting apologized after being detained for disrupting the State of the Union address Tuesday night.

In a tweet, Fred Guttenberg addressed his disruption by apologizing to his friends and family saying, “I let my emotions get the best of me.”

(2,2) That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety.

— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) February 5, 2020

“I simply want to be able to deal with the reality of gun violence and not have to listen to the lies about the 2A as happened tonight,” he said.

While Guttenberg regretted his outburst during the address, he remained steadfast about his beliefs to stand up against gun violence.

“That said, I should not have yelled out. I am thankful for the overwhelming support that I am receiving. However, I do owe my family and friends an apology. I have tried to conduct myself with dignity throughout this process and I will do better as I pursue gun safety,” he said.

Fred, your work on ending gun violence has helped transform the debate in our country. Thank you for your passion and commitment, and willingness to say #EnoughIsEnough. #ImWithFred #EndGunViolence

— Carolyn B. Maloney (@CarolynBMaloney) February 5, 2020

Guttenberg’s tweet was met with support from Democratic congresswoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Md.) who tweeted following his apology stating, “Fred, your work on ending gun violence has helped transform the debate in our country. Thank you for your passion and commitment, and willingness to say ‘#EnoughIsEnough’.”

You owe an apology to no one. Congress should apologize to you.

— Mara Gay (@MaraGay) February 5, 2020

Mara Gay, a New York Times editorial board member, also voiced her support of Guttenberg, saying, “You owe an apology to no one. Congress should apologize to you.”