Who is Elon Musk?
‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ co-hosts Pete Hegseth and Will Cain discusses Elon Musk’s rise to power.
Billionaire Elon Musk scolded the media this week for giving attention to mass shooters, saying the exhaustive coverage played into their twisted motives.
"Regarding recent events, the shooters are obviously doing this to generate the most amount of attention possible," Musk wrote, according CNBC. "Why is the media doing exactly what the mass murderers want?"
The email came on the heels of the tragic shooting Tuesday when a gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Musk's point mirrors a years-long debate in media circles regarding how much attention is given to mass murderers, as their horrific acts are newsworthy but many feel they are out for attention and infamy.
Billionaire Elon Musk asked why the media gives attention to mass murderers. (Reuters)
Musk’s attorney and Tesla’s press team did not immediately respond to requests for additional comment.
TEXAS SCHOOL SHOOTING: WHO ARE THE VICTIMS KILLED AT UVALDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Officials did not immediately reveal a motive for the elementary school massacre, but they identified the assailant as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, a resident of Uvalde. Law enforcement officials said Ramos acted alone and was killed by a Border Patrol agent who rushed into the school without waiting for backup.
The assault at Robb Elementary School was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in 2012.
Crime scene tape surrounds Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Wednesday, May 25. (AP/Jae C. Hong)
Musk, whose companies Tesla and SpaceX both have ties to Texas, told CNBC he supports "tight background checks" for gun sales and limiting assault weapons to people such as gun range owners, or anyone in a "high risk location, like gang warfare."
Musk added, "I strongly believe that the right to bear arms is an important safeguard against potential tyranny of government. Historically, maintaining their power over the people is why those in power did not allow public ownership of guns."
Last week, Musk claimed that he will be voting for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections.
During a live episode of the All-In Podcast at a Miami tech conference, Musk told his hosts that he would be voting Republican in the upcoming elections despite his track record of almost exclusively voting Democrat.
He stated, "I have voted overwhelmingly for Democrats, historically – overwhelmingly. Like, I'm not sure, I might never have voted for a Republican, just to be clear. Now this election, I will."
Nevaeh Bravo, one of the victims of the mass shooting Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, is seen in this undated photo obtained from social media. (Nevaeh Bravo's Family/via REUTERS )
The Tesla CEO provided some insight into the reasoning for his political switch, claiming that Democrats aren’t necessarily controlled by the people but by special interests.
"The issue here is that the Democrat Party is overly controlled by the unions and by the trial lawyers – particularly the class action lawyers," he said. "And generally if you see something that is not in the interest of the people on the Democrat side, it's going to come because of unions – which is just another form of monopoly – and the trial lawyers."
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
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